Only Five

A new lower end model is great at putting food at the table, but is JAYS even going to release something worthy of being called flagship?

[REVIEW] DUNU Detonator (DN-22M) and Landmine (DN-23) – Gears of War

Here are a few things I have taken note on DUNU over the years. First, they have some of the most consistent high build quality IEM of any company, big brand name or not. Second, they have been listening to feedback and improving the sound quality over each generation of products. The Detonator and Landmine are their latest offerings, but are their enough to bring some shock and awe?

[Impression] FiiO X3 – High Fi, Low Price

As one of very few who knew about FiiO's X3 project very early on since 2010, it has been quite a roller coaster ride. It was originally intended as a DAP with good line-out and digital-out but only decent amp section, in so keeping the price tag low enough on the device itself but allow the user to opt for a good external amp/DAC themselves. Then the project took a major hit when the original SoC supplier failed to deliver their promise of a workable firmware, ultimately causing FiiO to suspend the whole project in order to cut their losses short. It was resurrected months later when the current SoC supplier is found, followed by a new round of R&D. The result is the current X3 - a new DAP that is not quite like what FiiO intended originally, still looks rather similar but better in almost every aspect.

The X3 under reviewed here is one of the first Chinese batch of 100 units and it is identical with any retail unit. The firmware it has is FW01.16betaLX3CN. Main China release will be in late May and international release in late June. Retail price is around US$200.

Re-a-Shure

After years of hoping for a true revolutionary IEM, Shure finally answers the users' demand by announcing the latest addition of the SE series - the new SE846 has 4 BA drivers: dual bass, one mid and one treble unit in a 3 ways configuration. It also has exchangeable filter to tune the sound between 'balance', 'bright' and 'warm'. It will come with a fully transparent housing so you can admire its engineering wonder. The price tag is equally stunning, estimated to be around US$1k. One thing to note is that it is only 9 ohm in impedance, so it will likely be quite demanding on the source. But if you have $1k budget for IEM, surely a good source shouldn't be a problem at all.