Heir Audio Tzar 350: High Impedance Ivan

A couple of months ago, I bought the Heir Audio Tzar 350.

Having bought the custom Heir Audio 4.A just a year ago, I was very satisfied with Heir Audio’s level of build quality and customer service, both amongst the very best in the high-end portable audio industry. Their push for high-impedance IEMs was also very unique, and something that I’d been hoping for.

The ‘Tzar” line of Heir Audio universal in-ear monitors comes in two different flavors: the Tzar 90 and the Tzar 350. Since the Tzar 350 is the higher impedance version and the one noted to be the flatter of the two, I decided to purchase the 350.

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Rant: Ultrasone’s Irritating IQ

For some time, I’d been bound by morbid curiosity to try the Ultrasone IQ. It has been panned almost universally even before it came out, and today, I shall add further insult to injury. About a month ago, in a show of insanity, I assailed aural cacophony on my senses.

You guessed it. It is bassy and sibilant.

TDK BA200 | Back to Black

Editor’s Note: When I first wrote about the TDK TH-ECBA200BBK over a year ago, it was an unknown quantity. Few people had access to it, so its popularity didn’t catch on until much later in the year, when it began selling in retail locations worldwide. While it’s definitely one of the best dual balanced armature universal IEMs available on the market, it is unfortunately, still a bit of a dark horse compared to the popular offerings from Shure, Westone, and Ultimate Ears. I was immensely happy with it, however, especially when I picked it up for less than $140, which was a price basically unheard of a dual BA IEM. It is now known that the BA200 actually used groundbreaking AcuPass technology from Sonion to achieve its target response. You can read CYMBACAVUM‘s analysis of AcuPass and its benefits here.

It seems like every manufacturer wants a piece of the headphone market these days. Blame the iPod perhaps, for putting a digital music player in the hands of every man, woman, and child. Then blame Dr. Dre, whose Monster (well, no longer) marketing machine altered the status of the premium headphone — from audiophile plaything to trendy status symbol. No longer are in-ear monitors merely analytical tools for recording engineers; they’re now tuned with every type of ear in mind, and originate from more manufacturers than you can shake your DAP at. Whatever the culprit, there’s no denying that headphones and earphones these days come in every color imaginable – grapity purple, wildberry blue, orangey orange, lemony yellow, and even raspberry red.

However, I want to concentrate on only one color: BLACK.