First of all I would like to thank Firestone-Audio for sending me the amp for review.
The FireyeHD Headphone Amp costs: $130.00 / £170 / €200 and is available from:
–Firestone-Audio
–Amazon USA
Written review:
As I live in the UK – the review will be based on the product costing £170.
Packaging & accessories:
The FireyeHD headphone amp is a beautiful piece of kit, that comes in a nice little package which is quite simplistic. The amp includes a USB cable to charge the amp, a 3.5mm to 3.5mm interconnect to connect it to your given source and a charging wall brick.
I should say, that despite me living in the UK, Firestone Audio sent me a EU plug – thus I wasn’t able to use the wall charger at all. I don’t know if they provide a UK wall charger, but I would presume they would do so. Other than that, the amp came with what I would have expected from an amplifier package. It would have been nice to have had a little carrying pouch included for the FireyeHD as it is designed to be a portable amp.
Here are the pictures:
Click on them, to open them and see them in a larger size, enjoy!
Initial Impressions Here are my initial impressions of the EHP-O2D:
-Powerful amp
-Well built
-Beautiful design
-Quick switching between low and high gain
-Very simple plug and play into PC
-ODAC works marvellously
-Drives my Denon AH-D2000’s very well
-With no music playing, HDD can be heard on the PC (whilst connected via USB)
-Clear representation of the music – Transparent sounding
-Clean and lean bass response
-Bulky (white) power adapter
-Works on my Samsung Galaxy S 3 GT-I9300 as a USB DAC (needs power though), and thus by-passes the audio 3.5mm jack of the SGS3
Overall the EHP-O2D is extremely impressive. For the very affordable price of sub £200 for both a DAC and AMP, it seems to be the perfect solution for people like me who want a desktop headphone amp, that produces a very clear and transparent reproduction.
I’ve been very much enjoying the amp, and so far it puts my Asus Xonar D1 > Logitech Z-5500 > Denon AH-D2000 to shame. My desktop headphone rig is currently using the EHP-O2D, directly being connected via USB, and being used directly via “output” to my Denon’s. I can finally enjoy music at home, through my PC, for late night listening, or audio analysis/reviewing – whereas beforehand I would have to use my SGS3 for a more “truer” sound.
The full review of the EHP-O2D has now been published – Click here
Here are my impressions of the MJ2 interconnect (2m red):
-Beautifully made
-Great quality wire
-Good jacks, with no signs of problems throughout the wire (unlike other wires I’ve previously owned)
-Reproduces music very well, and brings out the mids, with no loss of sound
-Flexible enough, but not so much so that I can make it twist a full 180 degrees on it (I suspect this is mainly due to the fact that this wire is long, and has a nice sheeting around it, thus rendering it less flexible – its use is made for the desk, and not on the go, another reason why I bought the 2m version of it)
Overall my initial impressions of the MJ2 cable are extremely positive, especially at the price point it comes at (around £13) – it should be a no brainer for anyone looking for a 3.5mm interconnect.
Here are my impressions of the MJ2 interconnect (7cm black):
-Well made, craftsmanship is very good
-Has a nice reinforced jack
-Great sound quality
-Flexible
I am also impressed of the short 7cm interconnect, mainly because of the sound quality that I get from it!
Hope you enjoyed the unboxing, pictures & the initial impressions!
–TotallydubbedHD
Pros: Ultra portable, amazing bass contour settings, adds to the fullness of the SQ
Cons: Doesn’t drive well, fairly expensive, not as “clean” sounding as other amps out there
Packaging & Accessories: 7/10
Build Quality: 9/10
Design & Look: 9/10
Audio Quality: 9/10
Portability: 10/10
EMI (Interference with mobiles etc): 9/10 (higher rating means lower EMI)
Transparency (Plays same sound as source): 6/10 (higher rating means it’s close to the source)
Battery life: 8/10
Hissing: 8/10 (higher rating means lower hissing)
Value: 8/10
My final Rating: 10/10
Let me start off by saying, my headphone knowledge isn’t vast. I have only owned, previously to the D2K’s the Sony MDR-XB700’s – which in their right, are absolutely brilliant headphones, and for the price of £60, I couldn’t recommend them enough.
That said, after being in the IEM world and finally finding an IEM that satisfied me, I chose to venture into the headphone world. Thus looking for a replacement of my XB700’s which I have owned for over 2 years now! It’s amazing how time flies by, it really is!
The Nokia BH-905 and 905i’s are an interesting set of Bluetooth headphones. They bring a sort of style, depending on the way you see it, to the scene of quality headphones. Their style is quite unique, especially considering the 905’s seem to be like a huge strap across your head. Apart from the actual headband, the 905 range looks classy and professional, something you would see a business audiophile wear.
