Aesthetics and Build Quality:

The Ni is about the size of a 9v battery, and looks very plain. All black but with the company branding in white on it along with white arrows showing the input/output sockets; sitting between these sockets is an LED. On the other end you have a micro-USB for charging, and that is it, no buttons or switches, just a block with sockets on it.

The build quality is superb, it may be made out of polycarbonate, but it sure is well put together. Tolerances are incredibly tight and the housing is very well put together, along with the fact that the 3.5mm sockets are tight and of very high quality. All of this put together makes the Ni a solid little amp that should easily be up to the task of daily use.

Features:

The Ni does not have an on/off switch or volume control, the sockets sense when a source and headphone are connected and power the amp on. Volume is controlled by the source, and the Ni has a fixed gain of 6.5dB. It will supply 150 mW into 50 Ohms, 250 mW into 32 Ohms, and 270 mW into 16 Ohms. This makes it suitable for most headphones that are used for portable use, and some harder to drive models too.

The battery charges from flat to full in only 30 minutes, and you can expect around 9hrs of battery life from a single charge. The input impedance is very high which means it almost totally bypasses the internal amp of your source. The sockets are TRRS so when you are using it with a mobile phone, mic and controls will still pass through to the phone. The Ni is also engineered to be nearly completely RF and noise interference free.

Sound:

Well Periodic have put a lot of thought into this tiny little amp, so you would hope the results pay off.

Well rest assured all that work didn’t go to waste, the Ni does exactly what it sets out to do without fault. Phone outputs are usually pretty poor, and this little amp really does bring an improvement, and not just in terms of volume.

It goes beyond that and you get a nice quiet background with very low noise, alongside an increased sense of control and responsiveness. Lows sound tighter and more articulate, the midrange sounds better separated and airy, along with effortless extension up top. Of course, a lot of this will depend on the headphones you plug in, but with the Ni you can use a wide range of earphones to headphones and get the same quality performance that a phone simple cannot give on its own.

The Ni doesn’t inject a signature of its own, it does not have any additional bells or whistles, it purely amplifies the signal. But it does so in a very clean and precise manner that is perfect for those with low powered sources or poor headphone outputs.

Conclusion:

If you are looking for a boost in power, or a step up from your phone’s headphones output, the Ni is the perfect solution for on the go use. With great battery life, quick charging time and excellent sound quality, what’s not to love?

Sound:  5/5

Features: 3/5

Build: 4/5

Value: 4/5

The post Periodic Audio Ni (Nickel) Headphone Amplifier Review appeared first on HiFiheadphones.

Aesthetics and Build Quality:

The xCAN is built much the same as the xDSD, with a metal housing that is a bit of a fingerprint magnet and a plastic rear cap where the Bluetooth circuitry is located. The xCAN looks superb in person with a great size and shape.

The build quality is superb and the volume control does not stick out, meaning it is well protected and all the sockets are tight. Everything just feels very solid.

Features:

Unlike the xDSD, the xCAN only have analogue inputs along with Bluetooth capability. You get a regular 3.5mm line-input, along with a 2.5mm TRRS balanced line-input. Outputs are the same, one 3.5mm and one 2.5mm TRRS balanced.

The xCAN has the XBass II and 3D+ adjustments. The XBass II is a completely analogue bass correction curve and can be switched to boost low frequencies or to correct the presence region, or both. The 3D+ is also an analogue circuit that aims to correct the holographic soundstage, making headphones sounds less like the music is coming from inside your head.

The volume knob changes colour depending on the volume, starting at blue for low volume going up to red at full output. The xCAN delivers more power from its balanced output as you would expect, so it is recommended to use balanced if you can.

Sound:

Well, as the xCAN is mainly an amplifier, the quality of sound will largely depend on what you are feeding it. But feed it with a high-quality source and it will do its job of amplifying the signal without adding too much flavour. The xCAN is neutral and detailed. It may be a tiny bit on the smoother side so as to prevent it from sounding overly analytical, but it is not coloured to my ears.

When using it with Bluetooth you are relying on both devices; when using an AptX-enabled device, you get excellent audio quality. I really don’t know how iFi do it, but you really do not lose much in terms of sound quality when using this with an AptX device.

The xCANs dual mono amplification stage really is impressive, hiss free with sensitive IEM’s yet at a push it can power the Beyerdynamic T1 2^nd Gen with good results (Volume on red). Not that anyone would buy this solely for use with the T1 I don’t think, but it is still a very impressive feat from this tiny amp.

The XBass is a really handy boost for when out and about in noisy environments or just for slightly brighter sounding headphones. The 3D+ works wonders for more closed in sounding headphones giving you a more realistic soundstage. The ability to choose between bass and presence on the XBass setting is actually really handy and allows you a little finer tuning than a standard bass boost.

Conclusion:

The xCAN has all you need from a portable amp, perfect size, good battery life and easy to use. Add to that excellent Bluetooth implementation, balanced circuitry and overall sound quality is the only portable amp you will ever need. Another superb product from iFi that has our seal of approval.

The post iFi xCAN Review appeared first on HiFiheadphones.

Shanling UP Portable Headphone USB DAC and Amplifier

Up your portable audio game with the Shanling UP, with excellent detail retrieval and a wide soundstage, a must have for the audiophile on the go.

Pros:

• Clarity
• Size
• Value for money

Cons:

• None for the price

Aesthetics, Build Quality and Accessories

The Shanling UP is a tiny little device, the size of a memory stick, with a glossy black front and matter black rear. It has a USB tybe C socket on the top and a 3.5mm headphone jack output on the bottom, on the front an LED will light up telling you the device is on and what sample rate is playing. It is so simplistic and elegant it will fit into any system with ease.

The build quality is excellent with the glass front and the rest of the body being aluminium. Both sockets feel tight, and there is nothing on it to go wrong.

Accessory wise all you get is various cables, which is all that is needed. You get a lightning to USB C, USB C to USB C, Micro USB to USB C and a regular USB to USB C cable, so it covers most phones and PC use.

Ease of use

The UP does not have an internal battery, it just plugs into your device and runs as a DAC/Amp. It should work with most android devices that support OTG accessories, iPhones with lightning port and also PC’s. With the new Windows 10 creators update you no longer need to install drivers.

The devices has no buttons, thus you control the volume level via your phone or PC, I had no issues getting it to work with a Samsung phone, and a regular Windows 10 PC. It is recommended you use the Hiby music app when using the UP.

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READ MORE: NuForce uDAC5 Portable Headphone DAC/Amp Review

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Sound Quality

The UP is so clean, so clear it is hard to go wrong for the price. I am a DAP user, and don’t use my phone for music as I like having files stored locally. But the trend to not want to carry an extra device nowadays has grown and also Apple did away with the headphone jack so the market for portable DAC/Amps is booming.

There are plenty out there, but few that offer full DSD support and an ES9018 DAC chip for this price. The Shanling UP may only be able to output 35mW @32 Ohms, but it gets loud and driver easy to medium hard to drive headphones.

From IEM’s to portable full-size headphones you will be guaranteed to get much cleaner and better separated sound with the UP.

• Bass

The bass is tight and controlled, with precise kick and good body to back it up, the bass notes also decay as they should.

• Mids

There is no added body to the lows, this means the midrange is allowed to shine and it does, with vocals coming across clean with excellent detail retrieval. There is also plenty of air around notes which allows you to pinpoint each and every part of the recording.

• Treble

The treble is well extended without any harsh metallic tone to it, what is best about the highs is their imaging, the placement within the soundstage is critical and this little device has managed to get it spot on.

Conclusion

The Shanling UP is a superb High Resolution DAC/Amp for portable use, if you have some good headphones, you are not hearing their full potential out of a phone. This will change that, the UP with give you the clarity, detail and soundstage that your phone simply cannot.

Even being used with a PC there is a substantial upgrade from the on-board audio, so this can be used on your morning commute with your phone, then plug it into your PC at work and enjoy the same quality of music.

The post Shanling UP Portable DAC / Amplifier Review appeared first on HiFiheadphones.

Just Audio uHA-120UHA-120

Just Audio specialise in creating smaller scale audio products that enable an uncoloured, natural and precise listening experience, Designed and Manufactured in UK. The uHA-120 is a small pocket sized class AB headphone amplifier with a lightweight and durable design for portability. Fitted with a high quality Internal Lithium-Polymer Battery, it can also be powered from USB.
The Just Audio uHA-120 uses a discrete configuration, usually only found in larger desktop headphone amplifiers, to enable better alignment with the Just Audio philosophy of delivering a precise and uncoloured listening experience. Other features include a custom volume control pot upgrade. This version is the new Revision B model which allows you to configure the unit to a higher gain setting for full size or hard to drive headphones or a lower gain setting for in-ear or easily driven headphones. For those who want to use power hungry hard to drive headphones on the go Just Audio also do a larger portable Class A amplifier, the Just Audio AHA-120 . Everything right down to the components and the final PCB layout has been optimised for attaining the best possible audio quality.
HiFi Headphones Verdict:
The natural yet precise sound characteristics, British workmanship and solid construction make this superb little amplifier one you would be crazy not to consider. The option to raise and lower the gain setting means it will drive a large range of headphones and earphones.

The post Best Portable Headphone Amps appeared first on HiFiheadphones.

Enter the world of the professional audio decoder FiiO E18 with the convenience of listening to music from Smartphones, and the pleasure of high fidelity audio.

Reference quality digital-to-analogue audio conversion for music played via compatible Android smartphones. FiiO E18 is compatible with Samsung Galaxy S3/S4/Note2, HTC One, and other Android devices with USB OTG and USB digital audio output capabilities.

FiiO E18 can be used USB DAC and amp as replacement of the on-board soundcard on computers and laptops. FiiO E18 serves as a dedicated headphone amplifier when connected to portable audio players.

The user-friendly volume knob design with symmetrical volume roller is resistant to accidental bumps, yet easy to adjust. When used as power source, the automatic cut-off and self-recovery function of charging current limiter IC on the E18 protects the phone. The 3500mAh Li-polymer battery achieves 25 hours playtime when used as amplifier only, and 12 hours utilising the DAC and amp combination.

• Performs reference quality digital-to-analogue audio conversion for Android smartphones
• Compatible with Samsung Galaxy S3/S4/Note2, HTC One and Android devices
• USB DAC functionality for computers and laptops
• Works with laptop and desktop computers at up to 24-Bit / 96kHz high definition audio
• High-end op-amp audio output circuitry with ultra low distortion and noise
• 3500mAh battery for up to 25 hours of use as an amp-only, or up to 12 hours as DAC+amp
• Charges in 4 hours with optional 2A USB adapter

To purchase the unit, please visit our website:

Buy FiiO E18 Kunlun Portable USB DAC & Headphone Amplifier

The post FiiO E18 Kunlun Portable USB DAC & Headphone Amplifier – Announcement appeared first on HiFiheadphones.

Detailed audio signal without the loss of sound quality when using portable devices. Compatible with smartphones, tablets and computers, the A200p offers high definition sound that was previously not possible for travelling audiophiles.

Designed to circumvents the internal signal processing, the integrated Wolfson DAC chip of the A200p receives the pure digital music data first. After converting the digital data to analogue music signals, a high-quality amplifier controls the output to the connected headphones. All this results in previously unheard details, better contoured and deeper bass, as well as natural instrument and vocal reproduction.

Beyerdynamic A200p supports iPhone 5, iPad Air, iPad (4th generation), iPad mini and iPod touch (5th generation) and most smartphones with Android 4.1 or higher, which have a digital USB audio output. The A200p is currently the smallest mobile DAC and amplifier that can work with all of these devices on the digital level.

Features

• Crystal-clear sound with portable players
• Compatible with Apple and Android devices
• Digital connection via Apple lightning or Micro-USB
• 3.5mm mini stereo jack headphone connection
• Volume control with 135 levels
• LED display for charging, operation and volume
• Three buttons for music playback/pause and skipping forward and backward
• On/off switch with locking function
• DAC with up to 24 bit resolution at 96 kHz sampling frequency
• Integrated rechargeable battery with up to 11 hours operating time

To purchase the unit, please visit our website:

Buy Beyerdynamic A200p High-End Portable Apple/Android DAC and Headphone Amplifier

The post Beyerdynamic A200p High-End Portable Apple/Android DAC and Headphone Amplifier – Announcement appeared first on HiFiheadphones.

John Cadman, Graham Slee’s production manager, reported that the delays have been caused by a shortage of the Voyager case component. The case is manufactured outside the UK (in Canada) and the shortage of this one component has held up production.

About the Voyager

Graham Slee produced the Voyager headphone amplifier to be used with MP3 players, such as the iPod, and other portable audio devices. The Voyager amp simply plugs into the headphone output of the audio source and you plug your headphones or earphones into the Voyager’s headphone out.

Alternatively the Voyager can be connected to an iPod with a cable that connects directly to the iPod’s dock connector. This setup provides a better quality line level signal than the headphone output socket.

About Graham Slee

Graham Slee have a long standing reputation in the British audio world for producing phono pre-amplifiers (for vinyl record playing turntables) and high quality desktop headphone amplifiers, such as the Graham Slee Solo.

The Solo headphone amp is popular in broadcast and recording studio environments. The Voyager is the first venture into portable headphone amplifiers for Graham Slee and has been very well received by the audio and HiFi press.

More Information

For a range headphone amplifiers, including the Graham Slee Voyager, please visit the HiFi Headphones store.

The post Graham Slee Voyager headphone amp – back in stock after long delays appeared first on HiFiheadphones.