Audio Archives - Guilty Gamer

Elysian Apostle 2026 review: Unrestrained mastery A low end so commanding it redefines what an IEM can do

Ramanuj Kashyap — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 10:58:54 +0000

IEMs come in all shapes, sizes, and budgets. The hobbyist community also thrives on modification and customization, where Elysian Acoustic Labs began its journey in 2015 on this exact route, reshelling IEMs for enthusiasts. Fast forward to 2026, and some of the most celebrated in-ear monitors in the hobby now come from its stable, like the Annihilator 2021/2023, the Pilgrim, Pilgrim: Noir, and the Gaea, just to name a few of its hits.

In 2026, Elysian released the successor to one of its standout IEMs from 2025, the Apostle. The result is the Apostle 2026, an IEM that left me genuinely speechless, proving unusually difficult to put into words.

The post Elysian Apostle 2026 review: Unrestrained mastery

A low end so commanding it redefines what an IEM can do

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Symphonium Audio Titan review: Thunder with discipline Raw power, tight control, and engagement that never lets up

Ramanuj Kashyap — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:46:07 +0000

In a portable audio landscape largely dominated by Chinese manufacturers, Singapore brands have quietly but confidently carved out their own niche, going all out with experiments that push the IEM market further. One of the flag-bearers of this niche is Symphonium Audio, which has secured a big slice of the basshead pie thanks to stellar releases like the Meteor. Today's review is about its bigger sibling- the Titan, an IEM that I can confidently say fully lives up to its name.

The post Symphonium Audio Titan review: Thunder with discipline

Raw power, tight control, and engagement that never lets up

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HiSenior Caño Cristales review: Measured might in motion A low-end specialist that thrives in modern genres

Ramanuj Kashyap — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 12:29:56 +0000

HiSenior is a company named like an overused phrase at a high school reunion, but in the Chi-Fi audio scene, it’s recently ascended to fan-favorite status. The brand is behind some wildly popular releases, like the Mega5EST, which is heralded as one of the best JM-1-style “meta” tuned IEMs. That said, it’s not the product […]

The post HiSenior Caño Cristales review: Measured might in motion

A low-end specialist that thrives in modern genres

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GK Kunten review: Raising the bar high, keeping the cost low KZ conglomerate's all-time-best effort, arguably

Ramanuj Kashyap — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 18:42:49 +0000

There are plenty of IEM brands out there, and even though GK was once a little-known KZ sub-brand, what little recognition remained faded quietly when CCA became the parent company’s go-to “premium” line. GK was meant to be that premium branch from the start, but CCA ‌caught on faster, resonating with more people, leaving GK […]

The post GK Kunten review: Raising the bar high, keeping the cost low

KZ conglomerate's all-time-best effort, arguably

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Kiwi Ears Orchestra II review: More misses, fewer hits 10 balanced armature drivers on each side, but an imbalanced presentation

Ramanuj Kashyap — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 16:23:17 +0000

Kiwi Ears is yet another subsidiary of the popular audio brand Linsoul. Although a newer entrant in the market than KZ, ThieAudio, BGVP, and Penon, it has been releasing a lot of IEMs in various flavors — with planar magnetic drivers in Aether, bone conduction drivers in Etude, and multiple configurations in Astral and Septet. Today, I have the sequel to Kiwi Ears' Orchestra line-up, the Orchestra 2, and they're sporting a rather unexpected 10BA driver configuration.

The post Kiwi Ears Orchestra II review: More misses, fewer hits

10 balanced armature drivers on each side, but an imbalanced presentation

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ZiiGaat Horizon review: The brand’s best IEM yet An excellent take on the JM-1 Meta target

Ramanuj Kashyap — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 18:05:32 +0000

ZiiGaat, an offspring of the house of Linsoul, alongside Kiwi Ears, Xenns Mangird, and ThieAudio, continues to keep the IEM market hot with fresh releases that are sometimes overdone. I have a lot to opine on ZiiGaat’s new take on the JM-1 Meta tuning — the Horizon. After borderline spamming the market like many brands […]

The post ZiiGaat Horizon review: The brand’s best IEM yet

An excellent take on the JM-1 Meta target

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Kiwi Ears Cadenza review: The underdog of budget IEMs They sound as good as they look

MoonWarrior — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 17:12:46 +0000

The switch from mass-market AirPods and consumer-grade headphones to IEM land is one of my fondest memories. I’ve rarely dabbled with prohibitively expensive headphones and earbuds, but even gear south of, say, $200 can give the Beats and the Skullcandys of the world a run for their money. I’ve followed the Chi-Fi audio scene for […]

The post Kiwi Ears Cadenza review: The underdog of budget IEMs

They sound as good as they look

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Now that I’ve quit Spotify, it’s finally added lossless streaming to Premium plans at no extra cost After four years of teasing it's too little too late

Matt Sholtz — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 16:44:18 +0000

Eight years ago, Spotify started testing hi-res audio. Four years later, it made an official announcement that hi-fi audio would land in 2021. It didn’t. Then, last year, the company announced that its lossless audio support was almost ready, but it never materialized. It’s been a long road of endless teasing, but Spotify has finally […]

The post Now that I’ve quit Spotify, it’s finally added lossless streaming to Premium plans at no extra cost

After four years of teasing it's too little too late

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