Maybe it's nostalgia but I think the golden age for Sony portable audio was in the late 90's, some years before the release of the original Apple iPod. I already wrote about portable audio in the 90's and also about the quality improvements in portable audio since the 80's, but I want to write about … Continue reading The Sony Walkman downfall.
headphones
Venture Electronics – Bonus IE (BIE) Mini Review.
I bought the VE BIE for 18€ (20USD without shipping) on the official Veclan shop, these days you can also buy it on their official Aliexpress shop.I’ll try my best to give an honest opinion about the gear, keep in mind I have no connections to Venture Electronics and that I bought this at full … Continue reading Venture Electronics – Bonus IE (BIE) Mini Review.
Audio Enthusiasts – Alex Rowe.
I have been following Alex Rowe reviews for a while now, he's one of the most accessible reviewers that I know of on our hobby, and has true technical know-how on both critical writing and audio production.If you are into headphones I really recommend a visit to his site worldbolding.com. Also, he's a fellow Beyerdynamic/SoundBlaster … Continue reading Audio Enthusiasts – Alex Rowe.
Audio Enthusiasts – Mo.
I enjoy talking about a lot of things with Mo, he's a headphone enthusiast I relate to because we share the love for anime (which includes some very well-endowed female characters) and games. I highly value his opinion on a lot of subjects, and I will go to great lengths to hear his recommended headphones.A … Continue reading Audio Enthusiasts – Mo.
The headphone endgame is a lie.
end·game | \ ˈen(d)-ˌgām \Definition of endgame: the stage of a chess game after major reduction of forcesalso: the final stage of some action or processSource: http://www.merriam-webster.com There was a time I naively considered my headphone endgame to be the Beyerdynamic DT-880 and to be very sincere, if not a bit romantic, these venerable cans … Continue reading The headphone endgame is a lie.
Mainstream headphones.
Audiophile headphones* are a niche market, a profitable one but still small when compared with the professional and the mainstream markets. In this hobby most of us, if not all, tend to have a "limited" view based on our experience with gear, audio/music related knowledge and the communities we interact with. Let's imagine that our … Continue reading Mainstream headphones.
Audio Enthusiasts – Hyp0xia29.
Hyp0xia29 is someone I respect a lot even without personally knowing him. His impressive knowledge on headphones is something all enthusiasts should strive to achieve and his headphone collection is second to none. For a subjective headphone enthusiast he can be rather objective on his reviews. As audiophiles go he's the real deal and I … Continue reading Audio Enthusiasts – Hyp0xia29.
Reviews and my new approach to the blog.
I must admit that I got mixed feelings about reviewing headphones. My problem happens before I start writing, I feel like I'm not good enough to pass along my opinion in a language I don't fully grasp yet. This insecurity isn't new to me but it's still a handicap I often try to vanquish by … Continue reading Reviews and my new approach to the blog.
My rules to review free or discounted samples of gear.
In the past, I complained about people making blogs just to receive free samples from audiophile stores. Well, enthusiasts like yours truly are also approached by stores and if some reviewing rules are meet it's possible for me to review gear without the monetary bias. I will be fair and admit some politeness will always … Continue reading My rules to review free or discounted samples of gear.
Audiophiles please be nice online.
I should say that in the past I was very aggressive towards some of the bullshit in the audiophile hobby, these days I'm less inclined to attack fellow audiophiles. It's also no secret I can be very blunt if someone tries to shove pseudoscience up my ass, seriously don't even try it. With that out … Continue reading Audiophiles please be nice online.
Innerfidelity after Tyll Hertsens.
So Tyll retired to travel the world in his van Putt, hope he's having fun and also hope he shares that fun with his old readers. After all, some of us enjoy other things besides Headphones. Anyway, the new editor behind Innerfidelity is the reason I'm writing this entry, you see Mr. Rafe Arnott is … Continue reading Innerfidelity after Tyll Hertsens.
Why I don’t like Head-Fi.
Yep! I really don't like Head-Fi! Some of you might have noticed that I don't link or mention much the so-called biggest headphone related community in the world. There are some reasons for that and I will explain them next. You see, before Head-Fi there was HeadWize.com the first true hub of headphone enthusiasts in the … Continue reading Why I don’t like Head-Fi.
The need for measurements by enthusiasts.
After reading an article by Mr. Brent Butterworth called "A crisis in headphone measurement?" I was not a happy headphone enthusiast. I have a great respect for the gentleman but that doesn't really matter because I find his "attack" on measurements made by enthusiasts a bit low and disheartening. Sure his article is for a … Continue reading The need for measurements by enthusiasts.
The KZ ZS5 Balanced Armature drama.
Some time ago a reviewer who shall not be named started complaining that KZ lied about their (at the time of release) flagship ZS5. After he disassembled the IEM shell (probably with a hammer looking at the awful job he did) the reviewer found that the BA driver was not inside or directed at the … Continue reading The KZ ZS5 Balanced Armature drama.
Why you might not need a better headphone amplifier.
When I first jumped to the portable audio enthusiast train, my first pairs of headphones didn't need a portable amplifier to sound great. I don't say this in jest, it's the truth. Sure, my music players were mostly Sony Walkman's at the time, so they had decent sounding inbuilt amplifiers, this was in 90's so … Continue reading Why you might not need a better headphone amplifier.
