12 Days of Christmas: A P/P Gift Guide for the Audiophile in your life
It's that time of the year: The season where we give back to ourselves (especially important since this year has been a drag) and to the others around us. Gifts come in many shapes and forms, and P/P happens to carry the kind of gifts that bring you and yours joy through good sound, a necessity in these homebound days.
So we've prepped a sampler of potential audio products to suit almost all budgets, together with a couple of Christmas discounts for extra cheer.
Maybe you're looking for an inexpensive pair of earphones to get then next generation hooked on audio, or perhaps you're really looking to pamper yourself with some TOTL IEMs and accessories to reward yourself for surviving this year.
Here's a list you can look at when you're feeling lost.
1. The Danish Wireless Powerhouse: Libratone Track Air
Price: $89 (60% off UP $229)
"The TRACK Air stands out with its sophisticated equipment and feather-light design, promising carefree music enjoyment in any situation." such sayeth the jury statement for the Libratone Track Air's Red Dot Design award win.
There's a not a lot to pick at when it comes to the Libratone TRACK Air, especailly not at the price of S$89.
These earphonese come in a compact, egg-shaped case and combines ergonomic Danish sound-isolating design with sound that packs a powerful punch. Throw in a rock-stable bluetooth connection and the earbud's sweatproof (up to IPX4) and secure fit characteristics and you'll get the perfect companion for your daily grind. Regardless of if it's a long commute, a day at the office, or a post workday calisthenics session.
Where to Find them?
Libratone SG Official Shopee store: https://shopee.sg/pp.libratone
To throw in an extra dose of Christmas dose of joy, Libratone's active noise cancelling-equipped earbuds, the Libratone TRACK Air + is also available at the price of S$139 (UP: S$349)
Get them while stocks last!
2. "Get in the Robot *Insert Name Here*": final x EVA 2020 3D Printed Binaural Earphones
Price: S$43.12 (12% off UP S$49)
3D printed with the Evangelion power plug molded over its 3.5mm connector, this earphone was an absolute steal at just $49, even more so at (New price). It's has articulate and impactful bass while retaining the detail and nuances of the pieces it plays. Making it the perfect gift for the nostalgic fan you're looking to get hooked onto audio.
Also, Evangelion 3.0+1.0 THRICE UPON A TIME s slated for a January release next year: Here's a trailer if you haven't seen it yet:
Find yours here!
3. The Ultimate all rounder: final audio B3
Price: $545.22 (22% off UP $699)
Designed for clarity, the B3 has grown to be acknowledged as the B-series' near-perfect all-rounder. An excellent fit for listeners on a tighter budget who want to appreciate the delicacy and detail within the music and vocals of a track.
The B3 is suited for anisong, live recordings and EDM music.
It's ability to provide balanced, detailed high resolution audio quality across all bandwidths while retaining it's musicality and friendliness to most genres make it a great EDC option. not to mention it's hefty MIM-aided build
Find them here!
4. The Megalomaniacal Everyday Bunny: FiR Audio Five x Five
Price: S$1399
Top-shelf quality at an easier price. The Five x Five contains Five drivers (1DD, 4BA, breakdown below) on top FiR's signature Direct Aperture Acoustic technologies: Engineering techniques that push for more openness and better impact in your portable, in-ear experience.
Comfort and resolution are key in building a pair of IEMs you find yourself reaching out for again and again: The Five x Five addresses this basic with the ATOM Super +, a specially customised and 3D printed air transfer aperture for a pressure-free listening experience without sacrificing isolation.
Full, textured mids, suitably airy highs, present but never jarring, as well as excellent space and imaging, letting you bring the energy of your favourite live venues wherever you go
The Five x Five's sonic space is created by sonic cues deflecting off the inner surfaces and planes of its chassis. Something only made possible by the combination of FiR's sound reactor design: a large manifold into which low frequencies feed and develop before being delivered to your ear.
At USD$999, this might possibly be the pair of earphones you pick up to pamper yourself as a last hurrah in the year.
Find them on the shop here
5. Affordable Juggernauts: final Audio E2000
Price: S$60.72 (12% off UP S$69)
It's hard not to flood the list with options from final Audio when there's been so much goodness going on in their lineup in the last few years. The E2000 from final audio comes in at well below S$100. Tiny buds with big personalities, crisp, realistic, neutral and a clear step up from earbuds of a similar price range you'd find at big box stores.
Delivering way more resolution and balance than its humble price tags suggest, making it a great gift for the family and friends you're thinking of bringing into the fold.
Find them on our shop here!
6. Tack-Sharp TOTL goodness: final Audio A8000
Price: S$2551.12 (12% off UP S$2899)
Much has been said about the A8000, from its truly beryllium driver to it's tack sharp imaging and attractive, sparkly highs. final's new flagship is a truly TOTL pair of earphones through and through. This festive season, we're taking a bit of the edge of your spend with our 20% discount, letting you pick up these incredible performers at just S$2551.12 instead of S$2899.
Find them on our shop here!
7. Buttery Smooth Sounds: DITA Audio OSLO Cable
Price: US$527.12 (22% off UP US$599)
DITA's OSLO cable features gold and silver nanoparticles in a squalene suspension that even out irregularities in its copper core, giving any IEM a pleasantly warm, analogue touch with a buttery smooth finish, turning each listening session into an exceptionally cosy and captivating one, with a nuanced demonstration of each and every note. Making it the perfect companion for colder, wetter seasons
The OSLO also comes with DITA's 2.5mm balances and 4.4 balanced interchangeable Awesome plugs, which have a 4-pin design that ensures minimal loss even as you switch up your sources on the day-to day.
It also comes with a little vial of Contact Enhancing fluid made of the same stuff the cable is treated with. It has a pretty strong rep online, so while your mileage may vary on this stuff, don't pan it until you give it a try!
Find it on DITA Audio's webstore here
8. Enter Hardcore: STAX L300
Price: S$510.40 (12% off UP S$580)
The SR-L300 was originally created to give STAX's fans a properly afforadable reference option without breaking their banks. For fans of a neutral, accurately reproduced sound the STAX L300 is perfect for reference listening, classical music and vocals shine exceptionally when paired with these earphones.
Find them here
9. The Step up: STAX L500
Price: S$784 (12 % off UP $980)
An entry-level "King of Clarity" in STAX's lineup, the STAX L500 is known for its exceptionally divine midrange, playing well with both vocals and instrumentals, as well as its ability for detail retrival. The L500 are a pair of classic electrostatic earphones that have stood the test of time.
We're sharing the joy by offering a 12% off on these classic electrostatic earspeakers: Grab it before Christmas to participate!
Find them here
10. The Portable Power source: STAX D10
Price: S$1143.12 (12% of UP S$1299)
On of the first transportable amps for electrostatic headphones, the STAX D10 comes with an inbuilt, rechargeable Li-ion battery pack, providing your power-hungry earspeakers with a source of power and you with a good 3-5 hours of listening.
The D10 supports MicroUSB digital input as well as 3.5 analog input and plays files up to DSD128. This coupled with it's smaller size, might prove a gamechanger in shaking up your STAX setup. The D10 has a smooth, refined treble while still offering the level of detail and musicality you'd expect from a STAX setup.
Find the D10 on hour site here!
11. Elevate your Listening: Lotoo PAW S1 DAC-AMP
Price: S$229
It's hard to overstate how much the PAW S1 can elevate your listening experience. In the past few months the world has gotten to witness how powerful and versatile this little device from Lotoo can be. Turning anything from computers to smartphones to perfectly decent high-end earphone drivers and upping the ante on "proper DAPs"
Hear your tracks better with Lotoo's signature dark background and tweak the EQ profiles on the device to suit your source. The PAW S1 comes with both 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs for your balanced needs.
Find it here
12. Pint-sized Convenience: E3000c
Price: S$87.12 (UPS$99)
The E3000 is the warmer of the E2000/3000 pair, perfect for those seeking full, forward mids and luscious intimate vocals. The E3000c comes with an added layer of convenience: A handy-dandy microphone attached to it's cable, perfect for those craving a good listen on the go, while not sacrificing phonecalls and voice-recordings.
Find them in our store here