Earlier this year, a Dutch user on Head-Fi contacted me
asking me about planar headphones – specifically the Fostex T50RP and we
started chatting about modding and somehow discussed Bluetooth devices. I had
told him I had the Fiio BTR1 and was pretty satisfied with it but he told me he
was keen on this new device by an unknown company called Radsone. It was the Ear
Studio ES100. I had seen glimpses of it on kickstarter or Indiegogo, I forget,
but I was always very skeptical of those no-name brands making easy to copy Bluetooth
devices. There’s been many of them, headphones, adapters, etc, which are
overpriced garbage that you see as imitations of imitations of products you see
on Amazon or Ali Express.
But then I started to read more on this ES100 and it
actually looked legit. It featured dual DAC and dual amp architecture with both
single ended 3.5mm and 2.5mm output. I took a gamble. Sure why not?
It was available on Amazon with Prime shipping, so I could easily
return it if I did not like it. Well, I’ve had this item for over 6 months now
and use it almost daily. It’s a fantastic piece of hardware and has garnered an
ever growing fanbase because it really is flat out awesome.
It’s $99. The same price as many USB DACs like the popular
Dragonfly from AudioQuest, or the Fiio Q1 Mk2, however this one features
balanced output. It also can be used not only as a USB audio device, but as a high
definition Bluetooth device as well. It supports every CODEC – that’s SBC, Apt
X, Apt X HD, AAC, and LDAC! LDAC on this sounds superb.
And best of all, it has a mobile app that lets you tweak settings
to your heart’s content and has a system-wide EQ. I love this feature the most.
Being able to EQ how I want is a great for IEMs like the iSine on Android where
we don’t get the lovely Cipher cable option.
The sound quality is also excellent. I forget I am using wireless sometimes, especially on LDAC and Android Oreo or Pie, which have LDAC support built-in. And this device, through it’s balanced 2.5mm connection, can power even my over-ear Planar Magnetic headphones well. With most IEMs, there’s no issues with noisefloor, and you can easily use them with the 3.5 or 2.5mm connection, although I find the 2.5mm just a tad better.
As a USB device, this works well as a USB Audio for your PC
or laptop, and the device is super small that you can put it in your pocket or
use the attached clip to clip to your shirt.
As a recommendation, I prefer to use this with a short IEM
cable – something like 40 cms or less. This helps reduce cable clutter if you
are using the clip. It’s perfect for walking around and enjoying high quality
sound…
And I know I sound like an infomercial or am hyping this
item up, but I think it deserves all the credit in the world because the
company has done a marvelous job making it, and have been very receptive to the
audio community with listener feedback. They’ve continually improved the
firmware and app features based on user input. I’ve exchanged messages directly
with their Technical Director and you can tell they have a strong desire to
build a great product and it shows.
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