Barra’s Quick Initial Impressions

The best part of managing tours is getting to hear all the great gear for myself. Here are some brief impressions from what I have heard so far between the tasks required to set up this tour:

• Apos Caspian Open-Back Headphones ($499): This is my favorite item in the tour. There is a rich audiophile flavor with deep bass that is very seductive. The HP is light and comfortable while offering a good deal of isolation compared to other open competitors finding an optimal ratio. This headphone is great for both movies and audio listening finding an optimal spot at my desktop making my workdays fly.
• Apos Flow Headphone Cable ($149): While I have not yet compared this balanced cable to the provided single-ended cable that comes with the HP, I have not found a reason to try anything else as it is a great match. It is well constructed and ergonomic feeling like it will last many years through any desktop rigors. 
• Matrix mini-i Pro 3 ($1025): As a streamer that is ideal for Roon, I have not tested its full capabilities given I don’t have a Roon setup, but as a headphone amp, it works wonderfully. The key appeal for this unit is its bright-colored display that advertises your song and album art making it very fun. I Will wait to hear from some of our Roon experts during the tour.
• TOPPING D90SE DAC ($899): This unit is impressive – a detail forward audiophile DAC with a large soundstage. In comparison to my other DACs, this one pushes forward gobs of detail that you may not hear/notice otherwise offering a new way to listen to your audio library. I really like this unit.
• Moondrop Aria IEMs ($80): Having been spoiled for so long with constant access to the best of the best, it is hard for me to fairly judge this category, however, I have to say that I am surprised by what I experienced at this price point and it would be an easy recommendation for anyone looking in this price range. This is one that I know my wife would appreciate for look and feel, logistics of having a very nice non-tangling cable, and having the clarity and bass that she appreciates. While it will never compare to my customs priced in the thousands, I do have to admit that it is at least 80 percent of the way there for a lot of bang for the buck. 
• xDuoo TA-26 Tube Amplifier ($319): TBD
• Lime Ears Pneuma IEMs ($2160): TBD

Each of these tour items is impressive in its own way and will likely appeal to each participant in a different way. I am anxious to hear back from our participants to see their impressions.

Rules and Responsibilities

Most of our tours are offering 7-day auditions which you are required to ship out to the next participant on day 8. Yes, you pay the shipping to the next participant, but we organize into logistically friendly orders to minimize the shipping expense.

The tour membership rules and responsibilities are described here. The key idea is that we must be communicative to participate and to keep the tour moving and interesting. It is our responsibility to follow these rules and to ensure the ability to ship out on day 8 when our turn is over.

Signing up for the Tour

To sign up for the tour, you must be a verified tour member and have joined our new AUDIOTIERs platform. The membership qualifications and requirements are described here if you are not already a member. Whether a HEADFI tour member that needs to transfer their membership to the new platform or you are a new member looking to apply for tour membership, please follow the instructions in the GETTING STARTED box below. We are now accepting applications from both US and Canadian citizens.