News: Reid Heath Acoustics Introduces the DualCoil™ T20

Reid Heath Acoustics (RHA) has not been around for all that long, but in the three or so years that it has been, the Glasgow-based audio firm has done a whole lot to up its profile in the competitive and increasingly crowded earphone space. New companies constantly come and go, and while there have been a number that have caught the eye of both the serious enthusiast and mainstream aficionado, only RHA has held true to a commitment of reinvestment into heavy duty research & development.

Ode to a Classic: Sony MDR-EX1000 — Dynamism, Defined.

Editor’s Note: This pithy post is  a prelude to impressions on the new Sony in-ear products flooding the Q4 2014 market (and bursting into 2015) in typical Sony fashion. But before extolling the future, we must pay homage to the past — one that may never return.

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Fidue A83: A different kind of hybrid sound

Editor’s Note: Victor drops a hybrid review. Please note that the Fidue A83 was provided to CYMBACAVUM free of charge as a review sample.

Hybrid IEMs, usually with a mix of dynamic drivers for bass, and balanced armature drivers for the mids and the treble, have been around for some time now. Many of them are recognized for deep rumbling bass, and sparkly treble. I myself have owned the popular T-PEOS H-200, and extensively demoed other hybrids such as T-PEOS H-300, Sony H1, H2, and H3, AKG K3003i, and Ultrasone IQ.

While I found all of them capable (except the Ultrasone IQ), the only hybrid I actually liked was the AKG K3003i, for it was the only IEM that got the mids right. As a vocal/guitar lover, the recessed mids of many hybrid IEMs have always bothered me, as did their usual and rather bothersome mid-upper frequency peaks (which tended to cause some ringing and sibilance).