Review of Schiit Audio FULLA usb dongle DAC/amp w/lots of pics!!! topic

This is a review of Schiit Audio FULLA usb dongle DAC/amp. http://schiit.com/products/fulla

Yes, you’re reading it correctly - this is a review of FULLA Schiit Audio product! You gotta have a lot of confidence and one heck of a sense of humor to name your company "Schiit Audio". Anybody who is frequent to Head-fi will recognize this name and probably be familiar with Jason Stoddard (one of the SA co-founders) who indeed has a great sense of humor. I can't speak from a personal experience about all of their products, though well aware about their main focus being on desktop DACs and AMPs. Plus, I’ve read a number of positive reviews and impressions with everybody raving about their build quality, minimalistic looks, and excellent audio performance at a very reasonable price. Since my selection of audio hardware is focused around portable use, I typically don't have a need for desktop equipment. The only exception is when I use my laptop with headphones connected to HO (headphone output) port, something I always regret because of a poor sound quality of integrated audio chip. I do have some portable DAC/amps and DAPs that can function as USB DACs, but I'm not a big fan of "jack of all trades" and prefer a "master of one" which is what FULLA supposed to be. Here is what I found.

There are many unique things about FULLA, including a “box” it arrived in. This was definitely not a traditional packaging, made out of a carton sleeve and a folded cardboard piece with a cutout for DAC/amp and included accessories - very original! This packaging is certainly not intended for continuous storage use, and it wasn't the easiest thing to slide out (since I didn't want to cut it open), but I certainly do appreciate the recyclable nature of it. Beside FULLA itself, accessories included a short 4" usb to mini-usb cable, a small draw string velvet storage pouch, and a quick start manual.

Unboxing and accessories.













I gotta be honest that it wasn't a love at first sight. I do appreciate a small footprint (ridiculously compact 2.5" x 1.2" x 0.5") and a super light weight (3 oz) of FULLA - you can't take that away from a wow factor when you first take FULLA out and hold it in your hand. But after a quick brush of my fingers across the surface, I discovered rather sharp edges of the aluminum sheet metal wrapped around a steel enclosure box. It's not a show stopper since you can easily remove this aluminum piece (2 philips screws holding it together) and file the edges, but I was expecting to see a product with a more friendly to the touch finish.

Another thing that bothered me was a small volume knob, not easy to grab and a bit slippery. I do have to give Schiit Audio a credit for using an actual analog pot, just wish it would be bigger and with a more noticeable position marker. Also, I found a decision to use outdated mini-usb connector instead of a more common micro-usb connector to be a bit odd. Connector selection is not a showstopper either since you don’t need to charge FULLA thus can’t take advantage of common smartphone charger. All you need is a short usb patch cable to connect it to your laptop/PC, but still, a mini-usb connector is a thing of the past plus I bit of a challenge for OTG solution if you want to pair it up with a smartphone. Also, there were no other controls (gain switch or bass boost) or ports (line out, etc.) beside a volume knob and data connection port.

Design details.















I already mentioned that aluminum sheet metal shell is easy to take off if you need to file the sharp edges or just curious to look inside. All it takes is a careful removal of two Philips screws, and you can easily slide if off - just watch out for those edges! At the same time such metal lightweight enclosure makes a perfect protection cage, and also great for heat dissipation.

Inside FULLA







When it comes to setup and operation of FULLA, it’s literally plug’n’play – no need to install or configure anything. It’s that simple and robust, just connect it to your usb port, plug in your headphones and you're done! On my Windows 7 the system did remember the last volume adjustment from laptop, and every time I connected FULLA it was setting system volume to that level. If you are using the same set of headphones, this makes it very convenient to set the volume knob on FULLA and laptop volume to a desired combination, and use it as is. But if you often switch from IEMs to full size headphones with different impedance and sensitivity level, perhaps make it a habit to turn down the volume pot before hitting Play to avoid "blowing your ears" surprise.



I’m sure some of you are probably thinking this review started on a high note and went downhill a bit. Well, you are in for a big surprise because once I plugged FULLA into my laptop and connected my currently favorite ATH-MSR7 cans – I ended up having one of those “Susan Boyle” moments with a very pleasant surprise!

When you visit Schiit website, you can get a lot of info about their selection of high quality C-Media USB receiver, a supposedly top notch AKM DAC, and a high current TI amplifier. These are all great devices, but to me it’s all a black box where I only care about sound quality. The first impression when you start listening is a relatively wide soundstage with an open/airy sound. The imaging and positioning was really good and felt on 3D level. This also contributes to a great separation and layering of sounds.

I found an overall sound signature to be very clean, balanced, with a high level of transparency, and maybe just a slight boost in low end. The high power output made sound more dynamic, bass texture came alive with more rumble, mids are clear and detailed, and treble is crisp and extended (no added sibilance). Also, I didn’t sense too much hissing with some of my sensitive IEMs, and overall found FULLA to have black background – a good indication of proper isolation and filtering of power supply from laptop connection.

Obviously, when it comes to DAC/amp sound quality, the best way to appreciate it is by comparing to other similar devices, where I find FiiO E10k to be a very appropriate comparison. In terms of features, E10k has an edge with LO/Coax, L/H gain, bass boost, micro-usb, and clearly marked analog pot with led power light. But that's all on outside. When you do a direct a/b comparison of a sound, E10k is less dynamic, soundstage is narrower, sound is more congested, and imaging/position and separation are definitely inferior. Next to FULLA, you’ll find E18 to be warmer, more colored, not as wide, and a bit more congested. Also, A200p can't match the open/airy soundstage of FULLA.

Next to E10k





I was also hopping to get it to work with my Galaxy Note 4, but that didn't happen. I'm well aware that FULLA is power hungry and OTG USB connection won't provide enough current to support it. So I used a combination of OTG USB adapter and USB y-splitter cable with mini-usb and a separate leg connected to external battery. Not sure if I was missing another piece of that puzzle, but it made me think that it makes no sense to have a bulk of an external DAC/amp, a separate external battery, and different adapters and cables just to get an improved sound out of your phone. Besides, there are other dedicated solutions with OTG USB dac/amp. At this point, I was happy for FULLA to be a master of one trade.

Overall, I found FULLA to be a great piece of audio equipment based on its one main functionality of being USB DAC/amp dongle. It's definitely not perfect in terms of some "rough edges" and limitation of being a master of only one trade, but it does that one task with flying colors!!! I know there are other dedicated USB dac/amp dongles which I haven’t had a chance to test yet, but based on what I heard so far – this has the best sound quality and the most compact design! You just have to figure out your priorities and to decide if FULLA is right for you. If you are constantly switching between different headphones, or use external amp, or like to tweak a volume knob, E10k has more flexibility. But if you want to squeeze out the best audio performance – FULLA is the way to go! As a matter of fact, it will be my exclusive audio interface for laptop, and I will use it as a reference in my upcoming reviews and comparisons to other similar devices. So in summary, these guys are NOT FULLA SCHIIT, but rather know exactly what they are doing!!! Just can’t wait for the next product name if they decide to make a fully portable USB OTG dac/amp, perhaps DINGLEBERRY? :)

Review of Puro Sound Labs BT2200 Kids wireless/wired headphones w/lots of pics!!! topic

This is a review of Puro Sound Labs BT2200 Kids wireless headphones. Available on http://www.amazon.com/Puro-Sound-Lab...dp/B00OM3NV3E/ with manufacturer link at http://www.purosound.com/bt2200/

As a father of two pre-teens, my kid’s hearing health and safety is very important to me. Also, my involvement in testing and reviewing of a lot of different headphones spoils them with an easy access to a number of products after reviews are done. Beside the point they both prefer full size over-ear which can never fit them right, I’m also not happy when I walk by with them blasting the music at high volume. When my kids were little, we used to get them cheap walkman-style headphones with built-in volume limiter, but no way would they wear it now because it doesn’t look “cool”. When I came across Puro Sound Labs new set of wireless/wired BT2200 headphones, I knew right away these are going to be a hit in my household, and I was right! Here is what I found.

My review unit of BT2200 arrived in a compact plastic box packed inside of another packaging box with a magnetic flap. I’m not sure if the final product packaging will have that external box since its overkill with the only purpose for PR media distribution, but I decided to include it in my unboxing pictures anyway. The actual compact plastic packaging has a nice presentation of the product and plenty of room for all the accessories. It has a bold display look to catch your attention, and I can easily see it being featured on the shelves of Best Buy or Staples!

Unboxing and some feature highlight pictures.











Out of the box you’ll find a decent set of accessories bundled with BT2200 headphones. First of all you get a set of high quality usb to micro-usb cable AND a wall charger. I already forgot the last time I have seen anybody offering a wall charger in addition to a charging usb cable. I also think it's a great idea to give this compact wall charger to your older kids to teach them responsibility of keeping your headphones charged. Just keep in mind, a fully charged BT2200 will last about 18 hours, and when power off in standby – we are talking about 200 hours! But if they run out of battery and have no patience to wait for a charging, Puro Kids can also work as wired headphones with a removable cable attached to the left earcup. The included removable cable is not just a regular 3.5mm to 3.5mm wire, but has a built in volume limiter to cap the sound output at max 85dB which is considered to be a safety level for kids. The cable is flat and easy to manage for storage. I would actually suggest Puro Sound Labs to offer this cable as a separate accessory so parents can buy it for their kids to use with Beats and other headphones.
Another included accessory was a headphone storage bag - a draw string pouch. It will be useful for protecting headphones from scratches and also to store a cable inside, but might not be enough for safety storage in comparison to a hard shell case. It’s just something to think about in a future or to offer as an add-on accessory since these headphones fold flat for convenient storage. Also included with a package was a detailed Quick Start Guide.

Accessory pictures.









When it comes to the actual design, BT2200 strikes a perfect balance between the comfort (with a room to grow through height adjustment) and stylish looks so your kids will not complain about “wearing baby headphones”. I found the build quality and the materials to be very impressive. These headphones use a durable lightweight aluminum for headband and earcups housing, and a soft pleather material wrapped around headband foam filling. Headband height adjustment was actually able to accommodate even my head, though it felt a bit tight. A combination of aluminum and other light materials made these headphones very lightweight and comfortable to wear for extended period (clamping force doesn’t count in my case since these are intended for kids). Earpads are also marshmallow soft and contribute to great noise isolation, something you will have to keep in mind to make sure your kids are not wearing these headphones when riding a bike. Also, don’t be surprised if they use it as an excuse about not hearing you when you asked them to clean up their room lol!!! One interesting detail, in addition to subtle labeling of L/R inside of headband, you can also see a large L/R letters inside of the earcup so there is no confusion about the sides.

With BT controls, everything is located in Left earcup. You have micro-usb port for charging of internal battery. You also have 3.5mm port to connect audio cable for wired operation. For wireless controls you have volume up/down buttons, Bluetooth/playback button (for a pair up and a single click to Play/Pause, and double click to skip next), and a physical on/off slider. The aluminum silver material used for the cup and the buttons did resemble a lot iPhone design. In addition to silver/white model, the one I received for review, Puro Sound Labs also offer gold/brown model with gold-champagne finish of aluminum and brown pleather earpads and headband cushion. Also, I was very pleased with a dedicated on/off slider switch because I’m not fond of multi-function buttons that you have to press and hold to turn power on/off. Plus, you have a small LED to indicate either charging or operation function.

Wireless pair up was very simple by holding Bluetooth button to put headphones in pair-up mode (everything is described in details in manual). Once paired up, it was connected to a phone and media audio. Obviously, my kids are too young for a phone, but using a tablet or other audio/video devices supporting Bluetooth will be very convenient with a wireless connection. I think majority of kids will end up using these headphones with tablets for wireless listening to music or when playing games. Plus, it’s very convenient during a long ride in the car where some prefer to attach a tablet to the back of the seat and let your kids watch/listen without worrying about tangled cables. And in a worst case if battery runs out of juice, you always have a convenience of wired connection.

Design pictures.























Now, let’s talk about the audio performance. Puro Sound Labs refer to BT2200 as “studio grade” headphones. From my personal experience, my kids are not too picky about the sound quality, at least not yet though my daughter already starting to complain about some headphones lacking bass. Maybe they don’t care as much about it yet, but I do and was happy to be able to fit these on my head for testing.

I did put them through 30 hours of free air burn in since these are dynamic drivers after all. One surprising thing I found was a better sound quality of wireless connection over wired. The sound difference wasn’t too drastic, but definitely noticeable with wireless connection having a more articulate and less muddy bass, a clear and more detailed mids, and more sparkle in treble. Surprisingly, the Bluetooth connection of BT2200 doesn’t support aptX which usually enhances the sound. Also, keep in mind, Bluetooth wireless connection of BT2200 also offers internal volume limiter not to exceed 85dB threshold. I guess combination of the cable with a built in limiter and higher impedance played some role in making sound a bit dull when connected wired, but this is only from my “audiophile” perspective which is probably not fair since we are talking about wireless headphones for kids. Another interesting observation I noticed was related to the Puro Balanced Response implemented with these headphones to equally balance the bass, the mids/vocals, and the highs without any excessive volume peaks. To my ears it sounded like a dynamic multi-band compressor with sound being adjusted in real time of playback. I know I'm nitpicking here and for kids as well as majority of adults this is a hardly noticeable effect, but I still wanted to bring it up to everyone’s attention. I’m not sure if Puro Balanced Response refers to FR tuning or some active control, but it does works keeping the sound on the same level.

Overall, I think these are great headphones for young ones, pre-teens, and teens. Considering how many of us spoil our kids with Beats or Skullcandy or other expensive headphones, something like Puro BT2200 for Kids represent a great value with top quality build and material selection, very appealing design, convenience of wireless or wired connection, great battery life, and being able to expand (in headband adjustment) as your kids grow. But the most important benefit of these headphones is to be able to protect hearing of your kids starting from an early age and to be able to provide “parental control” of 85dB sound level limiting without your kids even knowing about it ;) As a matter of fact, Puro Sound Labs is making a commitment to donate portion of every BT2200 sale through 2015 to the Hearing Health Foundation – a very noble cause!

Review of Master & Dynamic MH40 Full Size over ear headphones w/lots of pics!!! topic

This is a Review of Master & Dynamic MH40 Full Size over ear headphones.
http://www.amazon.com/Master-Dynamic...dp/B00Q3ELGUU/ with manufacturer site: http://www.masterdynamic.com/products/mh40

Typically when I receive a new pair of headphones, regardless of full size or in-ear, the first thing I do is to run a quick sound check out of the box before I start my usual 2-day burn in. When I opened Master & Dynamic packaging box to reveal a pair of MH40 I was sent for review, suddenly I forgot all about my usual routine because I was preoccupied with looking at a piece of art. I have to admit, it's one impressive move for a newcomer (M&D) to make a grand entrance into already saturated market with a design that definitely stands out from a crowd. There is a number of great sounding headphones, but when it comes to a build quality and material selection, I see more and more manufacturers cutting corners. Other manufacturers build their fortune on looks and celebrity endorsements while putting sound quality as a secondary priority. Master & Dynamic was able to keep their focus on both and to deliver a solid release with their MH40 model. Here is what I found.

Starting with unboxing, the high res image of MH40 captured my attention right away, especially a curiosity about a mesh-vent since I knew it supposed to be a closed back design. On the back of the sleeve, you have a plethora of useful info about accessories, details about the cable with inline mic, and a brief yet very detailed overview of the company's philosophy followed by explanation of material selection and sound design which shows how much pride M&D takes in their product. With an outer packaging sleeve removed, you are presented with an elegant black box where under a cover you see MH40 in a display setting of foam cutout. In the middle of this cutout I found something I never seen before, a custom leather box designed specifically for a cable storage. We are talking about a round high quality leather box you would expect to see as a storage case for 00 IEMs, while here its purpose was just to store removable cables. Other details like a foam cutout around that leather box with extra room for easier access or ribbons on each side of top foam tray for easier removal of it so you can get access to the bottom of the box - all adds up to a very rewarding unboxing experience!

Unboxing pictures.















But the attention to details doesn't stop at packaging. As I mentioned before, the intention of round leather box was for a cable storage. MH40 utilizes a design with removable cables, and M&D included 2 sets of high quality OFC cables, both with woven shielding (velcro friendly, btw) and slim metal 3.5mm connectors, one for audio only purpose (2m long) and the other one with inline remote and mic for smartphone control (shorter, 1.25m). Interestingly enough, both cables has TRRS connectors, even so audio only cable doesn't require an extra "ring". The connector housing has an excellent grip and is slimmed down toward the gold plated plug so you can use it with any smartphone case, even something as bulky as Defender. The cable with smartphone controls has been partitioned where inline remote is separated from mic positioned closer to your mouth for a better voice pickup. Inline remote, in a metal cylindrical housing similar to mic capsule, is intended for a full integration with iDevices but with an exception of Volume up/down the multifunction button works perfectly with my Galaxy Note 4 where a single click used for Play/Pause/Call and double click used to skip to the next track.

Also included with cables is 1/4" gold plated headphone adapter with a matching metal body and etched "M&D" - very impressive they didn't go for a generic adapter and instead used a customized one. To complete this accessories package you will also find a canvas headphone pouch, and honestly I would prefer to call it a case since "pouch" is an insult to its design details. This canvas material is rather high quality cotton on outside, and soft layer on inside with a small inside pocket for cable storage and magnetic top closure with two handy rubber tabs for opening convenience. The one thing I wish they would include is a hard storage case, and not because it's necessary to protect MH40 (those headphones are build like a tank), but because I could only imagine it being another piece of art. Perhaps M&D will offer it in a future as part of a separate accessory just like they have it with a headphone stand.

Accessory pictures.













With all my gushing about details of packaging and accessories, you can only imagine what awaits you when you actually get to headphones. I always held B&W and V-Moda on a high pedestal as two of the companies that know how to design nice looking headphones, especially B&W with a selection of their fine material. In my opinion M&D just raised a bar to a level above both of those manufacturers. Master & Dynamic used a heavy grain premium cowhide leather on outer part of the headband as well as earcup outer inserts. The soft lambskin leather was used on inner part of the headband surrounding a shallow layer of foam and also earpads surrounding a plushy memory foam layer. The headband has 2 partially exposed metal rods and a hidden tubing in the middle for wires between earcups. The only material used in these headphones construction is aluminum, stainless steel and leather, which does contributes to about 350g of weight (not including the cable), but surprisingly MH40 felt very lightweight on top of my head due to a balanced distribution of the weight. Clamping force was perfect, which contributed to a decent sound isolation.

At the edges of headband arc, you have a very clever mechanism of y-fork attachment that works both for height adjustment and earcup rotation (for flat storage). The actual y-fork attachment to earcups is spring loaded for a more natural control of earpads seal around your ear - something that plays a significant role in sound shaping because pushing on earcups from outside by hand did affect a sound. Also, outside of the earcup is what appears to be a mesh wire port, but it's only for cosmetic purposes - these are closed back headphones. Both earcups have 3.5mm port for removable cable and you can use either of them for a source connection and daisy-chaining another pair of headphones from the other earcup. At the same time, there is a noticeable microphonics affect, perhaps due to all metal construction. Another very rare feature is a mute button on the right earcup, a metal push-button with a nice spring action which mutes/un-mutes the playback of the sound. It's a great option to mute the music without taking headphones off or reaching out for your source or inline remote.

As I mentioned before, earpads have a plush memory foam surrounded by premium quality lambskin leather. The shape of earcups and earpads is oval with an inner opening of about 65mm x 35mm. I had no issues with my fitment and consider my ears to be of a medium size, no pressure around or my ears touching the grill of the driver, but I can't speak freely for those with larger ears. Earpads itself are easily removable and attached to earcups magnetically, very B&W like except you don't have to deal with hidden cable connection (something I disliked in P5 and P7). Once earpads are removed, you are looking at alloy metal (forged aluminum body) earcup housing with a fine grill protecting their 45mm Neodymium drives. Everything about build and design of these headphones speaks a high quality and durability, and even so MH40 comes with 2 year warranty - they build like a tank and should last many years.

Design detail pictures.





























Now the results of my sound test. With such a high quality build I really hoped M&D carried their design passion into sound tuning as well, and to my satisfaction they did! Just like with any pair of headphones, you should expect a different sound signature. If you are looking for a basshead set of cans or analytical bright sound, these are not for you. But if a balanced smooth sound with an upfront characteristics is your cup of tea - you will be very pleased MH40. I don't often use "upfront characteristics" since typically a sound is either neutral or enhanced at low end or upfront mids or v-shaped, but here it felt like a slight boost across low/mid/high frequency bands with everything being accentuated.

Starting with a low end, it has a polite sub-bass extension with a noticeable in quality rumble, though not as much of quantity to balance out mid-bass which is fast and punchy and slightly boosted. Bass is well controlled with a good separation from lower mids. When it comes to midrange, lower mids have a nice body with a touch of warmth, and upper mids are clear and very smooth. I enjoyed a delivery of both male and female vocals which surprised me with rather organic tonality. With treble, I didn't find it to be extend too far, thus keeping up with a very smooth and non-fatigue characteristics without a single hint of sibilance - just perfect for extended listening period.

When it comes to soundstage, I found it to have an average width and depth, though it was more wider than deeper. At the same time, instruments and vocals separation felt a little congested, and imaging wasn't as accurate. This is not necessary a negative comment, but rather an artifact of sound tuning which focuses around a more intimate staging.

While comparing MH40 to some of my other headphones, I found the following. Next to MH40, ATH M50x sounds a little thinner and maybe slightly less detailed, it has more sub-bass rumble and mid-bass being less punchy, also upper mids pushed more back and not as organic, while treble having a bit more extension. Next to MH40, SoundMagic HP150 sounds more neutral, wider and airy, with sub-bass and mid-bass being flatter and more articulate and definitely lower in quantity, also lower mids are thinner and upper mids pushed a little bit back while being more detailed and analytical, and also treble extending further and with more sparkle. In comparison to MH40, B&W P7 has a lot more bass that spills into lower mids, upper mids are more colored and not as organic though more detailed, and treble has more sparkle and better extension. Next to MH40, V-Moda M100 sound signature is a lot more v-shaped with a stronger bass, more recessed mids, and better treble extension.

Overall, to say that I was impressed with M&D MH40 headphones would be an understatement. I wouldn't say exactly they are shining with a stellar audio performance because they stayed on a safe side with a rather balanced, warm/smooth tuning to make it great for listening to any music genre for extended period of time without a fatigue. But where they completely blew me away was a design details and quality of material that probably surpassed most of the headphones I reviewed in the past. It looks like Master & Dynamics really done their homework studying a lot of headphones, picking up the best details, and blending it into their own original design which I found to be top notch! Everything from a premium leather material with use of heavy grain premium cowhide and soft lambskin (the kind you appreciate to the touch and the smell in premium leather jackets), to a forged aluminum body with stainless steel components in all high strain areas, to anodized/PVD coated metals (gunmetal finish looks stunning!!!), and high quality unique custom accessories - all that adds up to a one great looking pair of headphones which you will be looking for any excuse to wear outside. And sound quality is great too because I would never recommend you a pair of headphones to wear as an accessory without an audio content to back it up. Definitely gets my recommendation!