KIWI Ears – Cadenza IEMs Review
When I am at the store looking at cheaper selections for bread, I can adjust to whatever is on sale. Ultimately, whatever bread I pick still tastes like bread, which is my goal. When looking at in-ear monitor solutions, I am a bit pickier, even when the price reaches triple digits. But sometimes this also means taking a hard look at something cheaper when it comes up. And it has come up. I have ha...[Read More]
Punch Audio Portazo IEM Review
Happy New Year! We hope that you have had a fabulous break and a great time setting up your new audio, visual, and gaming peripherals. We sure did! In our 2025 Holiday Gift Guide, head honcho and Elgato aficionado Nathan included the ZIIGAT Crescents as some of the best audio experiences he has had to date. In conversations with him outside of DigitalChumps work, he’s expressed great pleasure in b...[Read More]
ZiiGaat Horizon IEM Review
A few months back, I was able to test out the ZiiGaaT Crescent Hybrid IEMs. I didn’t know audio could be that pure and so crisp before the experience. My usual audio gig consisted of Bluetooth headsets or the once-in-a-while earbud experience. Nothing prepared me for the audio delivered with ZiiGaat’s Crescent IEMs, and I haven’t been the same since. Now, thinking that I had peaked with the IEM ga...[Read More]
Crescent 2DD + 2BA Hybrid IEM Review
I didn’t know what IEMs meant until I put in my first pair. I think I’ve been robbing myself of sweet audio sound that transcends the usual earbud intake experience. There is no going back after this. ZIIGAAT sent us the Crescent 2DD + 2BA Hybrid IEM set to review this past month, and I’ve learned so much since taking on that task. The idea that comfort, audio sensitivity, and a bevy of other fac...[Read More]
Kiwi Ears Septet IEM Review
When switching from traditional earbuds to in-ear monitors (IEMs), one of the first hurdles a consumer typically encounters is adjusting to the pressure. That is, pressure building up when the IEMs are securely in-place within the consumers’ ear canal. Some of this can be addressed through using slightly different eartips that reduce the suction power while still maintaining decent fit, while othe...[Read More]
Kiwi Ears Astral In-Ear Monitors Review
It’s not often that a pair of in-ear monitors makes me do a triple take when using them. Not a double take, but a triple. Think of a time when you were trying out two separate items of the same type, but different brands. My triple take with the Kiwi Ears Astral occurred when I was using them for quite a while and then switching to another set of IEMs that I won’t name here. When I switched away f...[Read More]
Linsoul ZiiGaat Arcanis IEM Review
Back when I reviewed the Linsoul ZiiGaat Lush IEMs, I found myself wanting something…just a bit more. The pair of IEMs made most, if not all, music sound great, but I wanted my music to feel more lively, more punchy…more real. This is not a knock against the pair of IEMs – this is a reminder that a pair of IEMs that have been tuned to a neutral profile will be middle of the road. Then, I put on th...[Read More]
Linsoul ZiiGaat Lush IEM Review
When I think of lush-sounding audio, I think of easy listening. Perhaps something cushy, broad, or even warm. Neutral, possibly. Maybe even smooth. It’s not often I hear the phrase “lush” thrown around as something to describe an audio product, but when I do, I cannot help but consider the designer to be making a very bold move. The ZiiGaat Lush lives up to its name in multiple ways. Naming this p...[Read More]
Linsoul ZiiGaat x Fresh Reviews Arete IEM Review
In the high-fidelity audio world, wired earphones are the norm. Although Bluetooth audio has improved over the past decade, using in-ear monitors (IEMs) with a standalone digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is one of the best ways to fine-tune audio. I’m sure you’ve seen some streamers of late using IEMs instead of traditional headsets, too, so don’t think that IEMs are just for HiFi audio. What if ...[Read More]