EVO-3 Anti-resonance pads Test Stereo-Video

Starting a business based on physical manufacturing in the Czech Republic is always an undertaking that deserves our admiration. Starting a business here in the high-end segment earns downright serious respect…

Radovan Řehořek and David Piska founded RDacoustic more than twenty years ago, as they themselves say, “out of love for music.” The emotionally tuned story on the company’s website describes the motivation that drives them forward and proudly ties their work to technologies born in a region once chosen by some high-ranking official as the relocation site for Tesla. The foothills of the Beskydy mountains thus became home to the then electronic elite, who continued to develop and manufacture vacuum tubes, glass bulbs for black-and-white and later color TVs, as well as silicon and semiconductors. A secondary technical school focused on electronics soon followed. In short, it was a perfect place to start an electronics business after the revolution. It’s hardly surprising that this region is still rich in talent for the fields we love so much.

The gentlemen from RDacoustic (S&V 8/20) started with loudspeakers, later adding “power line cleaners,” as various mains filters for clean power used to be called. Then came luxurious acoustic panels and room treatment products, followed by power cables and, most recently, anti-resonance feet in two versions – Silicon Nitride and Zirconium. In size (ø 6 × 3.2 cm / 223 g) and price (120 €) they are identical. So I had six identical little boxes on my table – and one small criticism to go with them. Resonance control is not a foreign topic to me. As references under both my turntable and streamer I use products from IsoAcoustics, and under standmount speakers I use Japanese WellFloat platforms. I own tiny IsoAcoustics Orea Graphite pucks at 1,270 CZK apiece, as well as the largest Orea Bordeaux at 2,269 CZK each. The bigger, more expensive ones are direct competitors to the Czech product, even though they are in fact slightly cheaper. And here I’d really like the gentlemen from Rožnov to take inspiration from IsoAcoustics’ packaging and labeling. Color stripes distinguishing each puck series, beautifully designed boxes with easy access, and an insert highlighting other products – in 2025 I consider that standard. In comparison, the packaging, print quality, materials, and the product ultimately stuffed into a “resealable 10 g baggie” are, in my opinion, not ideal. Of course, the packaging “doesn’t affect the sound.”

Effective magic?

Let’s recall what the makers themselves say about these pucks:
“The body is made of high-grade duralumin, onto which a double layer of copper and nickel is applied. The nickel is then hardened by nitriding at 600 °C. The top and bottom parts are separated by three extremely precise hardened balls. Each ball moves in its own polished spherical cup. This structure eliminates unwanted vibrations that spread through the room while listening to music. It protects audio components and loudspeakers from external vibrations. One set uses balls based on silicon nitride, the other uses zirconium balls.”

It feels rather strange to place the bottom side of a component directly onto highly polished metal pucks – metal on metal – but evidently the RDacoustic team know what they’re doing. Moving components from one set to the other was, in practice, easier than doing the same with the competing pucks from IsoAcoustics, whose surfaces are probably made of a sorbothane-like rubber that sticks to both the table and the component.

The test chain was more or less standard: a Naim Uniti Nova Power Edition streaming amplifier, Chord EpicXL Ohmic cables, and Dynaudio Special Forty loudspeakers on WellFloat platforms. So what could we actually hear in our untreated living room?

Tracy Chapman – Fast Car
The silicon nitride version firmed up the bass line and gave the track lovely spatial depth. The zirconium version seemed to slightly tame the bass, but added smoothness to Chapman’s vocal and gave the guitar a more airy character.

Bob Dylan – Man in the Long Black Coat
Both sets of feet, in my view, opened up the track. The silicon version behaved more or less exactly as I know it from IsoAcoustics feet, while the zirconium set pulled back that slightly veiled initial attack on the bass string and made Dylan’s voice sound a bit like after sucking on a throat lozenge.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Red Right Hand
This was by far the most interesting effect on reproduction. With both versions of the feet, the spatial presentation was different from what I normally hear. Thanks to the silicon version, the sound was rawer, and the little noises – including the click of a Zippo lighter at the start of the track – were rendered with precise…

eoBuds Pro 3 – around 800 CZK

eoBuds Pro 3 come with the most advanced Bluetooth version of all the tested models and the broadest codec support: in addition to the usual suspects, you also get LDAC and LDHC 5.0 for high-resolution audio. The case, reminiscent of a black compact, is among the most elegant out there – and the earbuds themselves match it. They combine a spherical body with an interestingly shaped flat stem designed for “finger” control. That stem may be a bit too thin, so larger hands (especially at first) may struggle a little when removing the buds. Once they’re out, though, handling them is easy.

The accessories include a stylish drawstring pouch made from synthetic fabric, six pairs of extra ear tips, and a USB-A to USB-C cable. It almost feels as if this model walked through the wrong door and accidentally wandered in from a higher price category.

Adaptive noise cancelling promises up to 50 dB of suppression, handled by four microphones working in tandem with AI. These also provide excellent hands-free performance – among the best in the test. So if call quality matters to you, that’s another reason to get better acquainted with what Edifier has to offer. On top of that, the earbuds feature head-tracking and a very convincing simulation of spatial audio. A quick double-check of the price confirms we weren’t mistaken. A dynamic driver with a balanced armature further underscores that we’re dealing with a rather posh pair of earphones.

Battery life is very good: up to 36 hours without ANC, 24 hours with ANC. A 15-minute top-up gives you up to three hours of listening. The companion app offers optional sound enhancers (Vocal, Bass Boost, Treble Boost) and an equalizer. Through the app, you can also fine-tune ANC to your ears and environment (High, Medium, Ambient Sound, Wind Reduction). Latency is impressively low, which will be appreciated in gaming mode. Protection is rated at IP54 and multi-point connectivity is, of course, supported.

Pros: support for advanced codecs is clearly audible; elegant design.
Cons: design might be a bit too delicate for large fingers.

BAT’S EAR
This model really does feel like it ended up here by mistake – but that’s not a problem at all. The sound is balanced and appropriately dynamic. If you have access to hi-res music, you’re getting a model that can handle it for a very reasonable price. It seems we’re dealing with a product that can genuinely fight for a place at the front of the pack.

Topping G5 – 6,890 CZK

The Topping G5 portable headphone amplifier comes in a beautifully made, all-metal enclosure, milled from a solid block of aluminum alloy on CNC machines and finished in either black or natural anodizing. Its footprint is comparable to a larger smartphone, and the larger contact surface on the back is covered with pleasantly soft leather. The easiest way to strap it to a phone is with two rubber bands, which, along with a rubber pad, are included in the box.

On the bottom short edge you’ll find two USB-C sockets: one dedicated to charging the built-in battery, the other for audio. Controls consist of a miniature slide switch for selecting the input (USB, Bluetooth, or analog Aux) and another slide switch for setting one of three gain levels depending on the sensitivity of the connected headphones. On the opposite short side, under the slightly protruding sidewalls, sits an analog volume control – a potentiometer combined with the power switch. The overhanging sides help prevent accidental volume changes.

There are three headphone outputs: a balanced 4.4 mm Pentaconn jack, an unbalanced 3.5 mm jack, and a second 3.5 mm jack serving as an analog stereo input. The optimal connection to a mobile phone, tablet or computer is via USB, which is why the accessories include short USB-C–USB-C, USB-C–USB-A and USB-C–Lightning cables. Connectivity is fully compatible with Windows 10, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. Status LEDs along a dark strip on the top indicate operating modes.

The G5 DAC/amp uses a second-generation XMOS USB interface and can handle PCM up to 768 kHz/32-bit and DSD512 over USB. Conversion is handled by a Sabre ES9068AS DAC. The headphone amplifier section uses NFCA (Nested Feedback Composite Amplifier) topology, optimized for mobile devices to guarantee excellent sound while keeping power consumption low. The result is a balanced output with a total power of 2 × 1200 mW into 32 Ω and an output impedance below 0.1 Ω.

The built-in 4,000 mAh battery lasts up to five hours when using the DAC over USB and up to 25 hours when using only the analog input (Aux), with the DAC circuitry powered down. Bluetooth is handled by a Qualcomm QCC5125 chip, supporting LDAC (96 kHz/24-bit), aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, AAC and SBC.

Rating – Pros: outstanding sound quality; huge power reserves; Bluetooth and analog; robust build; highly versatile connectivity.
Cons: a bit too heavy for a pocket.

BAT’S EAR
The reproduction is excellent, with precise detail, and thanks to the dedicated battery supply the G5 offers exceptional power reserves, confidently driving even insensitive headphones. Meze, Beyerdynamic and AKG models posed no challenge, nor did dynamic peaks.

Gaming headset – parameters and sound

Key specs:

Type: closed-back, circumaural, gaming
Wireless connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2 (SBC, AAC), Wi-Fi
Frequency response (headphones): 20–20,000 Hz
Frequency response (microphone): 100–8,000 Hz
Max SPL: 94 dB
Impedance: 32 Ω
Connectivity: USB-C (charging)
Battery: Li-Ion 3.7 V, 500 mAh
Charging/playback: 2 h / 26 h (BT), 22 h (Wi-Fi)
Driver diameter: 40 mm
Weight: 255 g
Website: jbl.cz

Rating – Pros: excellent sound in games and music.
Cons: incompatible with Xbox platform; somewhat delicate construction.

Overall: excellent.

In calls, noise and the speaker’s voice are accompanied by strong background sounds such as footsteps around the room, typing on a keyboard or scribbling with a pencil. I heard the other person quite faithfully and without disturbance; volume is controlled not only by the headset’s own Volume knob but also by the phone’s volume setting.

In games, the sound design focuses especially on the bass range, so hits and combat (including sword fights) are presented with authority, sometimes even thunderously. The rest of the spectrum – including detail like footstep separation and directional cues telling you where an enemy is approaching from – is, by contrast, top-notch. Character voices in games are excellent, in-game music sounds great, and the headphones also handle “normal” tracks like rap with ease.

More demanding music, even without a Hi-Res Audio logo, is reproduced convincingly. Instruments made from natural materials – leather, wood, metal chimes or triangle – are rendered well. Albums like Dire Straits’ demanding and superb Brothers in Arms sound solid, as does the jazz of Eva Olmerová, and the drumming duo Fajt and Meneses deliver brilliant percussion duets. Pop, dance and rock tracks by today’s stars play in a catchy and pleasing way, and you’ll definitely enjoy many great moments with them, not just in front of a console and big monitor.

JBL Stage 260F – 29,990 CZK

The new entry-level lineup in the American brand’s catalog is the Stage 2 series, within which the 260F is the smaller of two 2.5-way floorstanders. There are two “coffee-inspired” finishes: Espresso pairs black baffles and plinths with cabinets in a mahogany-style vinyl, while Latte combines white with light oak look-alike. The magnetically attached grilles are covered with acoustically transparent fabric – black for Espresso, light grey for Latte.

The cabinets, damped inside with synthetic wadding, are made from 15 mm MDF. The structure is reinforced by two internal open braces, and the 10 mm ABS front baffles slightly overlap the front edges. Stability is improved by plinths extending the footprint mainly to the sides (by 35 mm each). At the bottom corners, rubber feet with integrated M8 threaded inserts are ready for the supplied decoupling spikes.

A tweeter with a 25 mm anodized aluminum dome fires into a patented HDI (High-Definition Imaging) horn, with an acoustic lens in front of the dome – a shallow plastic cup – further refining dispersion. The mid-bass and supporting woofer positions are filled by two identical 165 mm drivers with poly-cellulose cones reinforced by five concentric ribs, attached to the baskets via rubber surrounds. All magnets are ferrite.

The crossover splits at 1.7 kHz, with the auxiliary woofer helping the mid-bass driver up to 1.3 kHz. On the back, at the top, there’s a rubber cap under which hides a pair of terminals for elevation speakers (JBL 240H), bringing sound closer to Dolby Atmos in a home theater. A large plastic panel at the bottom houses two parallel bass-reflex ports and two pairs of binding posts: the lower pair (Main) connects to the amplifier, the upper (Height) is internally wired to the terminals for the 240H module.

With a nominal impedance of 6 Ω, the speakers offer a very decent sensitivity figure and are an easy load for most amplifiers.

Rating – Pros: solid sensitivity; “universal” impedance.
Cons: rear-firing bass-reflex ports.

BAT’S EAR
The attractively energetic sound clearly shows that Stage 2 speakers are primarily tailored for home cinema. Bass is tight and precise, with a pleasing reach into lower octaves, but its body is somewhat leaner. The midrange is very nicely articulated. Clean highs are slightly emphasized and have a brighter character, which doesn’t always flatter classical music. The soundstage already begins to open up in depth, and dynamics are agile.

Wavemaster Two Neo

The more affordable compact alternative to the Two Pro is offered by the German brand in two multi-layer lacquer finishes (high-gloss white and satin grey). Grilles with fabric are not included. The cabinets, with rounded edges and corners and lined inside with felt, are made from 15 mm MDF. Partial decoupling from the surface is provided by rubber feet at the bottom corners.

A tweeter with a 25 mm silk dome is paired with a 130 mm mid-bass driver featuring a conical Kevlar-fiber cone suspended on a rubber surround. Magnets on both drivers are ferrite. All electronics (except the left crossover) are housed in the right active speaker, powered by a classic supply with a toroidal mains transformer. The Class D amplifier can continuously deliver up to 2 × 30 W.

Connectivity is expanded by a DAC based on a Cirrus Logic chip. On the optical input it supports PCM up to 192 kHz/24-bit; over USB-B, resolution is limited to 96 kHz/24-bit. Control is via a single knob on the front panel, bottom right. Besides volume, pressing the knob cycles through inputs, indicated by a six-color LED (green and white for line inputs, orange for optical, purple for USB-B, blue for Bluetooth, and red for standby). An IR receiver in the opposite corner works with the included remote, which not only offers more convenient control but also loudness and tone controls for bass and treble.

Bass-reflex ports exit on the rear panels; on the right speaker the port is integrated into the I/O panel. The input section is generous: two line inputs (one on a 3.5 mm jack, the other on a pair of RCA sockets), an optical input, and a USB-B port. There is a single output for an active subwoofer. All these connectors are nickel-plated, except for the gold-plated speaker terminals used to connect the passive left speaker with the supplied 4 m 2 × 1.5 mm² copper cable. An unusual two-pole mains socket on the rear can be handy for powering another device. Rounding out the panel are a rocker power switch, the mains inlet and a fuse holder. Accessories also include a 1 m signal cable (3.5 mm stereo jack to 2 × RCA).