Recording - December 2015 - 21

The S500i is extremely small and lightweight; its machined aluminum drivers practically disappear into the ears, and their cables come together into a flexible cloth-covered
cable with a gold-plated TRRS minijack. A standard Apple volume/play/pause control is
located on the right earcable, and it has a tiny mic for phone use.
The S500i isn't as flat and uncolored as some other RHA phones; there's a bit of
"excitement" in the treble and a very gentle low-mid rise that does wonders on vocals,
guitar, and other front-and-center instruments. Most importantly, bass is present and
clearly focused but not boomy or overexaggerated. I was easily able to find eartips
that offered a good fit, and found listening on my iPhone and other audio devices very
pleasant and non-fatiguing. If I have any cautions at all, it is to be careful when choosing a 1/4" TRS adapter; be sure to choose one that allows for a completely solid connection in order to maintain audio quality.
This is a cute and very musical in-ear that you never have to be without, and it's
priced for almost anyone. I consider it a great introduction to the RHA lineup.-MM

Schiit Fulla USB DAC/Amp
$79; www.schiit.com

We might have held off on this review for our upcoming Songwriter Issue, but that
will have an April cover date... and given our penchant for April Fool's articles, we're
pretty sure that no one would ever believe this product was real.
We first ran across Schiit Audio at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, at a booth (full
of T-shirts with slogans like "Ask Me About My Schiit") that proudly displayed an
impressive line of solid-state and tube monitoring and conversion systems, preamps,
and more. Usually Schiit Audio caters to the audiophile crowd, but when we spotted
the Fulla, we asked for one to try out in our studio.
As you can see in the photo, the Fulla is a very small D/A converter and headphone
amp suitable for portable high-resolution monitoring. It boasts high-quality D/A and
USB interface chips and has a true analog volume knob, all in a metal case barely
larger than a pack of chewing gum. Its specs are remarkable: flat to within 0.1 dB from
20 Hz to 20 kHz, 3 dB down at 2 Hz and 200 kHz, 250 mW RMS per channel into
a 16-ohm load, 200 mW RMS into 32 ohms. You're warned to be careful, because
the Fulla will easily get loud enough to damage most headphones (and ears). Its signal/noise ratio is greater than 101 dBA referenced to 1 volt RMS, and it supports
audio quality up to 24 bits and 96 kHz.
The Fulla sports a single output minijack and a USB Micro-B connector for your computer; it's a stereo class compliant device and needs no drivers-just select "I'm Fulla
Schiit" in your Control Panel or System Preferences and you're on your way. It comes
in a little velvet bag with a 4" USB cable that's perfectly fine for use with a laptop.
Once you get past the silly name, the Fulla delivers impressively clear sound that will
benefit even the best headphones. It's supremely detailed and lets you hear fine gradations of automation, edit points, compression artifacts, and more, while also presenting full mixes with beautifully spacious sound that's unhyped and believable.
Considering its very low price, the Fulla is an easy choice for recording musicians
who have wished for a way to listen to high-res audio without relying on laptop headphone jacks, but couldn't justify the cost of a high-end solution. With a 1-year warranty
and a 15-day (almost) free trial period, it's well worth a try. No schiit!-MM
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http://www.schiit.com http://www.royerlabs.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - December 2015