Bluesin's Cabin

#Audeze #LCD2C: paired with the #Darkvoice 336 SE. The source is the #Fiio X7. First a shout out to @audeze_official - easily the best customer service in the headfi world! I had a pair of EL8s. I loved them dearly, but then the left driver stopped working. I spoke to Audeze...and they sent me a pair of LCD2C s! Upgrade. All I had to pay for was to ship my EL8s back to them. I was amazed! Doesn't get better than this. The music through this is heaven, manifested by the superior planars that are housed in these headphones. More on that in the next post...this one's for Audeze! 👏👏👌🏼👌🏼#audiophile #soundgasm #eargasm #headphones #hifi #instasound #customerservice @xsankar (at Gachibowli)

#Koss KPH30i (#beige) on-the-ear: $26 w. shipping from #massdrop. 😀😀😀😀 I had promised a mini-review, in response to a 90% 'YES' on my insta poll, asking whether you folks would like one. I don't know where to begin... I'm beginning to sound like a fanboy of whatever I own. And that's not good! So keeping that in mind I will be sure to balance my views. They are made of plastic, so they seem flimsy out of the box. They are not quite the fashion statement (unless you're a dyed-in-the-wool hipster, which I'm not). The Good: very comfortable - you don't feel them at all, excellent dynamic range, very neutral, almost polite (which I fixed using the #chordmojo ), good soundstage (as evidenced by watching movies), and decent imaging. The price, the price, the price.....🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼 The 'Meh': They are made of plastic, so they seem flimsy out of the box. They are not quite the fashion statement (unless you're a dyed-in-the-wool #hipster, which I'm not). #audiophile #eargasm #instagadget #instasound #portable #valueformoney #costeffective (at L&T Serene County)

The Bose Soundsport Free: #wirefree #earphones with superb sound quality for the wire-free category. I own, and have reviewed, the #massdrop purchased Fuse #iems . But nothing prepared me for these. Great dynamic range (listen to #giant by #thebadplus). The bass can be a bit recessed at times, but only when the music is challenging. Listen to #milesdavis #kindofblue , and the bass, amongst fewer instruments, is stellar! Watching #peakyblinders on #netflix was a treat with the excellent background score enthralling, without disturbing dialogue. #bluetooth pairing with my #oneplus5t, right out of the box was effortless. The fit is very good, with the units staying firmly in my ears with normal use. Haven't tried vigorous exercise. One grouse is the 5-hr charge limit. I'd have liked the charge to last at least one leg of a long trip (7 hours). The case juices up the units twice, before needing charging itself. Nevertheless..... Wow! Well done #bose 😀 #audiophile #eargasm #dynamicrange (at Starbucks India)

NuForce EDC: $64 w. Shipping from @massdrop These iems are very good value for money. Especially if you're trying to understand where audiophile SQ begins, on the cheap! Out-of-the-box: in addition to the earphone units you get two cables. One long braided cable, and a shorter cable with remote and mic for phone usage. You also get a nice zippered, compact carrying case. And of course, the now customary, range of ear tips (both silicon and foam). Listened to: variety of sources, apps and musical genres. Sources: OnePlus 5T, OnePlus 5T + Oppo HA-2 SE. Apps: Google Play Music and TuneFM. Genres: hard Rock (Dream Theater - Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a memory), EDM (Telefon Tel Aviv - Fahrenheit Fair Enough), and assorted jazz (TuneFM) Build: decent. The cables are good quality. The one with the mic and remote works well with my OnePlus 5T. My main concern is that the cable joint near the earphone unit kept coming off. On entering a building the other day, I suddenly found the cable from the left side hanging 'naked' on my shoulder. If it hadn't been for the diligence of the receptionist I'd have lost the small unit forever. Not good! SQ: sound isolation is very good (tested at airport). The iems sound musical with great instrument separation and good dynamic range. Treble is a bit edgy, bass is tight but rolled off and recessed. The shortcomings are neutralised, a bit, by running the files through a DAC/AMP. With Oppo HA-2 SE : 😀the iems are clearly capable of good bass, but are tuned differently out-of-the-box. Pity! I'm not a basshead, but in these iems I'd have preferred the added bass oomph. All-in-all these are a good buy at the price, and quite possibly can become what the brand claims for the model, Everyday Carry (EDC)! #nuforce #audiophile #iems #portable #massdrop #oneplus #oneplus5t #oppo #oppoha2 #hardrock #jazz #eargasm #earphones #inear #inears #dacamp #dreamtheater #telefontelaviv #edm #instasound (at L&T Serene County)

iBasso DX90 Part 3 (The minireview): Available for $345 on Amazon.com, this little pocket player is magic! There are certainly other players that are cheaper, and indeed those that are far more expensive. I've owned / own players at both end of the spectrum. But this little brushed black aluminium beauty, at the size of a cigarette pac, carries the punch of hi-end CD players. With its two Sabre DACs, one each for the right and left channels, it delivers on all fronts. It's supports most formats effortlessly: APE, FLAC, WAV, WMA, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, OGG, MP3. The top has the coaxial out, SD card reader (128 GB) and the USB charge port. The bottom has the headphone jack (3.5 mm) and the line-out. The right side has the volume rocker, and the left has the power switch and the lock button (to prevent unintentional actions when pocketed). My one peeve is the user-interface... It's old -school and not very responsive. The physical buttons, below the touch screen however, are a treat. Very tactile and satisfying. Happily the main functions (play/pause and track change) are governed by these. With low (1.3V) and high gain (2.8V) modes the player drives most headphones and iems, and is even serves as an adept source in a full fledged music system. What I love most about this player is its versatility. Choose your music genre for the day and it will deliver intimacy, clarity, insight, instrument separation, imaging, soundstage. Headphone junkies such as I can pick their headphones-for-the-day, preferring open over closed, iems over on-ears, planars over dynamic...and the player will mate closely, like it was customised for that pair. I've owned the DX90 for 3 years now and I still come back to it, time and time again. Pound for pound (or dollar for dollar) I'm liking this more than most players I've tried! Highly recommended! @ibasso #ibassodx90 #ibasso #soundgasm #eargasm #audiophile #music #musicgenre #portable #portableplayer #iems #headphones #instagadget #dap #greatsound #recommended #flac #ogg #wav #alac #aac #wma #aiff #ape #mp3 (at L&T Serene County)

iBasso DX90 Part 2 (with around-the-ear dynamic headphones) - Meze 99 Classics: listening to the same albums as Part 1 (previous post), the noise isolation is obviously better with the Meze 99 over-the-ears. A different set of parameters are immediately obvious. The noise floor of the DX90 is very impressive. On "If I Could" by Jack Johnson and "The Rain Song" by Led Zepplin, in the bits between music there is the real absence of sound. Pure silence. I hear the ceiling fan in the room. The 99 Classics' excellent padded ear cups embellish the wonderful soundstage created by the DX90. The experience is whole, satisfying and immersive. The headphones disappear bringing one closer to the music. Complementing the soundstage even further, the imaging now is spread backwards and forwards, not just right and left. There is now a room within the room I sit in. And wondersously, I realise, it's the DX90, not just the headphones. Going back to "If I Could" and increasing the volume ever so slightly, I heard the gentle notes played by Zach Gill on the Melodica. The notes were as present and clear as the louder vocals and instruments. What a great example of dynamic range from the DX90! Stay tuned for Part 3 for DX90 specs, ergonomics, pricing, availability etc.... #ibasso #ibassodx90 #audiophile #ledzepplin #musically #soundgasm #eargasm #dynamicrange #soundstage #imaging #jackjohnson #noisefloor #silence #dap #dacamp #meze99classics #meze #melodica #therainsong #classicrock (at Brewsky)

IBasso DX90 Part 1 (with in-ear-monitors) - Audeze iSine10: listening to 'The Rain Song" from Led Zepplin's 'The Song Remains the Same" album. The DX90 digs deep into the detail, instruments and vocals were clearly heard and separated. Both acoustic and electric guitars were clearly distinct and present, in the left and right ears respectively. Keys, in the centre, were somewhat recessed, but not taking away from the experience. Plant's vocals were beautuful, slightly right of center. The splash of cymbals was clear as a bell in the centre. In the "The Crunge" is a great song for dynamic range with bass drum, bass and funk guitar playing at the same time. The three instruments stand their own and lead beautifully into the vocals, without losing a note. On "Good People" (Jack Johnson's album, "In Between Dreams", the number starts with a couple of clicks of Johnson playing muted strings. The sound is so real, one resists turning right towards the the direction of the sound. Funky chords accompanied by a strong bass line and drums immediately follow. Johnson's vocals, in the centre of my head, complete the bouquet. Overall the DX90 is slightly treble-biased but extremely satisfying! #dap #dacamp #portable #portableplayer #ibasso #ibassodx90 #audeze #audezeisine10 #ledzeppelin #jackjohnson #goodpeople #music #insta #audiophile #eargasm #goodsound #headphones #iem #funk #classicrock (at Brewsky)

Chilling with the Fiio X7 and the Meze 99 Classics: a beautiful pairing! The Fiio fitted with the AM5 amp module makes the Meze brazen and bold. The latter confidently belts out any genre you can throw at it. From Snoop to Coltrane! Tightly controlled bass is a marvellous achievement when reproducing hip hop. The mids in the Snoop song were clear as a bell, unaffected by the strongly portrayed bass. The running bass lines in Coltrane's 'Love Supreme' were as present as the splash of the high hat and ride on the drums. The sax was confidently positioned just above the right ear, with pinpoint imaging. A blissful start to the new year with a big #smile. Happy new year to all! #love #supreme to all.... #audiophile #meze99classics #fiio #soundgasm #eargasm #musically #happynewyear #hiphop #jazz #snoopdogg #johncoltrane #lovesupreme (at L&T Serene County)

The Fiio X7 + Dark Voice 336se + Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro: the Beyers are one for the most accurate headphones for any music genre. They maintain excellent tonal balance and are thoroughly detailed. The one area they've been faulted is the highs. The top end of the treble can be a bit shrieky at times. Enter the Dark Voice tube amp. The warmth of these tubes blunts the highs just enough to make the Beyers truly great! At $450 the combo outclasses rigs at twice the price.... across genres! @ Beyerdynamic @ Fiio #beyerdynamic #beyerdynamicdt990pro #fiio #music #genres #eargasm #audiophile #headphones #tubeamps #darkvoice #soundgasm (at L&T Serene County)

Gaming with a DAC/AMP! Connected my PS4 controller to the coaxial port of the Oppo-HA2, and then my Audio Technical MSR7s to the headphone jack of the HA-2. Holy shit! Playing 'Until Dawn' and 'The Last of Us', the environment sounds, music effects and sound effects were more realistic and relatively louder. In Until Dawn, the environment (inside and outside the house) was much more real and creepy. The voices were softer. In TLoS I heard the clickers and runners earlier than I heard them without the Oppo. Overall, the horror genre was scary as hell, and had me at the edge of my seat! #gaming #gamingsetup #ps4 #untildawn #thelastofus #audiophile #oppo #oppoha2 #sony #audiotechnica #athmsr7 #horrorgames #horror #playstation (at L&T Serene County)

Fuse, totally wirefree. Got them from #massdrop. A bit bass heavy. Not bad. #headphones #audiophile #soundgasm #wirefree #bluetooth #freedom #bassheavy #bass

My beautiful Darkvoice. Headphone valve amp of the decade at the price. It's become a bedside table fixture! A parallel universe it takes one to. #audiophile #valve #got7 #headphones #music #hifi #clarity (at Gachibowli)

#Bose QC35 and #iPhone 7: watching #GOT #season7 episode 1. Yet again I tell you folks, these #headphones are great for #movies. I know I've been critical in the past. But the convenience of #wireless and NC, and I admit now, the crazy ambience of dramatic orchestral background music, with the U-shaped #equalization .... Hahaha....good shit. Pc @squiduday #Daenerys #Targaryen, bring it on! #audiophile #bose #gameofthrones (at Gachibowli)

This combination is so beautiful, and so emotional. The warmth of the tubes (Darkvoice 336se), the clarity of hi-res (Fiio X7), the genius of Tommy Emmanuel. The song is Angelina. The sound is enveloping like a warm dessert after a good meal. It's transforming! But it's not portable 😐. I'm beginning to love the Darkvoice because it warms up the AKG K7XXs so perfectly. Just thrilled with this combo! Tommy Emmanuel is the God of acoustic guitar IMO. Never has a sophisticated instrumentalist like him make one believe that is doable. It's not doable. So relax and enjoy what he does. #darkvoice #fiiox7 #akg #tommyemmanuel #acousticguitar #valve #tube #amplifier #audiophile #eargasm #instasound #combo (at Gachibowli)

Office gear for the day: Bose QC35 + Macbook Air. I don't think the QC35 sound is the best but it isn't bad either. Quite good for instrument light tracks. Acoustic guitar sound quite good. Bass is still a bit woolly. The cans remain fairly musical. Got quite into Ben Harper on the album Welcome to the Cruel World. The luxury of cutting out office chatter was nice. The NC excellent. Also being able to pair with both the macbook and the iPhone (for calls) was very useful. Stretching my legs while taking calls and roaming around was a good experience. #bose #boseqc35 #macbookair #benharper #iphone #itunes #applemusic #bluetooth #noisecancelling #audiophile #instasound #eargasm (at Gachibowli)

Audio-Technica ATH-M50X + iPad mini. People have a love-hate relationship with the m50x. I love them for movies and hate them for music. Maybe hate is too strong a word. There is much drama in the tuning of these cans. I like my SQ fairly neutral for music. And there are better cans out there in this price range. The MDR7506, for example. The imaging in the m50x is quite good. Which is why combining that with the SQ drama works for movies. Especially for action footage. Watching the Daredevil series on Netflix. #audiotechnica #m50x #ipad #mdr7506 #sony #daredevil #netflix (at Hyderabad)

Met this wonderful lady on the flight with this 13 dollar bluetooth headphone. Made by a company called iball. The model is Pulse BT4. The sound quality wasn't great but it was very listenable. There was a sense of neutrality which held fatigue at abeyance. The price did make me smile. #headphone #bluetooth #audiophile #cans #black #iball #neutral #nofatigue #instasound (at ITC Grand Central Hotel, Mumbai)