AIAIAI is a Danish company clearly named for Xena the Warrior Princess’ trademark war cry. I respect that. And if there’s one thing that I remember about Xena’s many adventures, it’s her love of assembling headphones. Ok, no. It seems the inspiration for AIAIAI’s modular headphone lineup is something other than Lucy Lawless. Regardless of their muse, AIAIAI brings the IKEA build-it-yourself approach to the headphone industry. You can either choose a headband, driver units, ear pads, and cable to design your own custom creation, or you can choose one of their pre-selected combos and assemble it all yourself....

The small plain white box I received with an embossed bold black CCA logo was humble and unassuming. What was hidden within was not. When I opened the box and witnessed the stunning black and gold faceplates, images of Egyptian Pharaohs’ and Queens’ tombs conjured in my mind. Ancient Egyptians believed that the Pharaohs, sons of the sun deity Ra, would rejoin the gods in the afterlife, and therefore have flesh of gold....

I ended up with choosing between the HIFIMAN HE-400I and Sennheiser HD 660 S, as the HE-400I was on a big discount which put them in the same price bracket. I got the Sennheisers setup at the store, with some fancy equipments that are way out of my price league, and went to town. I put on my best “critique” impression – writing things down on paper so that I could compare, going through jazz, neo-soul, choir pieces, pop, orchestral, the whole shazam!...

xDuoo offers a couple of Bluetooth add-on modules (05BL and 05BL Pro) that insert into the rear panel of their flagship line of portable DAC/amps (XD-05, XD-05 Basic, and XD-05 Plus). For under USD $60, the 05BL Pro is an update of the previous (non-Pro) model. While physically very similar, the Pro version updates the internal chipset and resolves many of the connection issues plaguing the first version, and adds additional Bluetooth connection codecs for improved audio quality....

It’s justifiably tricky to choose between the two apps, but we hope to lessen that burden with this comprehensive comparison. So, let’s dive in! The Overview Spotify Developed by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, this Swedish music streaming app began as a small start-up in 2006. It was designed to address music piracy by providing easy access to music and proper compensation to artists. Spotify was officially launched in Europe in 2008 and made its way to the US in the next few years....

Tin HiFi (formerly, Tin Audio) is one of those chi-fi brands that garners polarising views from different camps of audiophiles. Those who love them dig the looks of it and the great sound quality that you get for a budget IEM. When you are attracting attention, you get the haters. They bring out the frequency response graph and starts mocking the roller-coaster lines of the upper treble. Literally unlistenable! In this review, we will be taking a critical comparison between the Tin Audio T2 Pro and Tin Hifi T3....

In the audiophile industry, there is an endless list of topics that spark debate. Contentious topics like expensive cables and high-resolution (hi-res) audio are some that especially rile up the community. The definition of hi-res audio states that any music file recorded with a sample rate and bit depth higher than 44.1kHz/16-bit is considered high definition (HD) audio. In this article, we will cover the fundamentals of sample rate and bit depth along with their impact on perceived audio quality....

From a luxury to a necessity, no one can’t deny the need to have at least one pair of headphones today. In fact, the headphones industry earned around $34.8 billion in 2020 alone or sold as much as 514.5 million units in just one year! But just like any other technology, headphones didn’t become a huge industry overnight. It took decades of innovation to turn this technology into the headphones we know today....

Do your Bluetooth headphones just suddenly stop working and start flashing red and blue? Bluetooth headphones eliminate all the inconveniences of tangly wired headphones, but they can be frustrating to use at times. You might find yourself tearing your hair out trying to figure out what these blinking lights mean and what you can do to get your headphones to start working again. To make matters worse, Bluetooth headphones only have a few controls, typically power and volume buttons....

Apart from the fancy features that iOS11 brings to mobile users, Apple had also integrated a slew of factors that will affect the way you experience music on the iPhone X. It is common knowledge that Apple has thrown their weight behind killing off the 3.5mm but what else should an audiophile like you know about the iPhone X? Let’s find out. 1. Flac Support What is Flac? FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec....

How to Choose the Best Music Streaming Service CDs and vinyl records may have seen an unprecedented increase in sales in 2021. But this doesn’t change the fact that music streaming services are more popular now than ever. With such stiff competition, many platforms are upgrading their services. This involves expanding their premium offerings and highlighting unique features or content. Some advertise their extensive music libraries or music discovery features. While others offer more subscription perks or discounted plans....

The race for the best noise-cancelling headphones is in full swing now. Every once in a while, a new competitor comes into play to challenge the more established ones in the field. For noise-cancelling headphones under $1000, though, the race is more special. The large budget has allowed brands to stretch out their resources a bit. This breeds innovation and creativity unlike anywhere else — and we’re not complaining. Well, not too much at least....

How to Choose a Great Pair of USB-C Headphones Nowadays, more smartphone brands are getting rid of the classic 3.5mm audio jack. And that means we’re stuck with the choice of either buying extra dongles or going wireless. The issues with those choices are that many aren’t keen on carrying around extra accessories that could take up space or get lost. While others are hesitant to switch to wireless headphones because of their, at times, less-than-stellar performance....

The audio industry has grown to become a large field running with all sorts of brands from the big luxurious names to the small but high-quality ones. For people like us, the whole headphone market is one big maze. This is why it’s important that we know the different types of headphones — or at least the ones that you will be needing. Choosing one is easier said than done, though....

“A Deep Dive Into Harman Curves” Series Navigation: Making Headphones Better Loudspeakers than Loudspeakers Headphones have several characteristics distinct from loudspeakers. One is the absence of room effects, which is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it means that speaker boundary interference response, which can massively distort midbass is absent. Yet, room reflections that resemble the direct sound of the speaker may actually help in generating a sense of enjoyable spaciousness outside of the head....

When looking for a new pair of gaming headphones, most people go for trusted gaming brands first. Not many consider other notable brands, like Sennheiser, who have a great reputation in the audio industry but aren’t solely dedicated to gaming. As a result, they often get excluded when talking about gaming headphones. It’s time to evaluate if a gaming headset from a non-gaming company, with such a renowned reputation, can rival one from a well-known gaming brand....

Let’s admit it, as much as we want to block out all the noise from the world, we still need to hear our surroundings for specific reasons. If you’re a jogger or a commuter, you need to know the people and cars coming from behind you. If you’re in the office, you still need to hear your teammates and your boss’ orders. To hear your surroundings, you need to either interrupt your music or take off your headphones....

Nuremberg-based Gfk Institute has reportedly published a report that shows headsets are the most in-demand high tech products in France, besting smartphones and wearables. The report touted headphones and earphones as “star products” as the category generated 539 million Euros in 2018, a 31% jump from the 2018 level. In volume, sales translate to 11.2 million units which registers a 7% increase from the previous year. This growth is based in particular on 100% wireless headphones whose turnover increased threefold in one year....

Having your very own Playstation console is one of the best rewards every gamer can give to themselves. But these don’t exactly come cheap. That’s why no one can blame you if you currently don’t want to shell out more cash for some gaming headsets and opt to use your trusty AirPods instead. There’s just one problem though: the PlayStation 4 still doesn’t support Bluetooth audio. And, it doesn’t look like they’ll add this feature any time soon....

For new users, charging your AirPods may not be as intuitive as you imagined, especially since your only indicator is the status light! It can be confusing to interpret the many colors, not to mention the differences between blinking and static lights. Plus, without knowing if your AirPods are charging or fully charged, you’ll get stuck worrying they’ll die when you need them most. That’s why, in this article, we’ll show you how to check if your AirPods are charging, plus other nifty hacks to check your AirPods’ battery status....