
GOODBYE
This is it
Six years later, this is goodbye and, admittedly, also a bit of a friendly finger to the hobby 🖕🏼
May what follows help some see the light.
—
Sources
— 16-bit CD-quality is the gold standard
—
Source files matter and 16-bit CD-quality is the gold standard. Do try “Hi-Res” audio however.
‘Hear a difference and can afford it? Good.
‘Can’t hear a difference or want to save money? Good.
—
Music player
— If you can afford it, consider a mature music player from a recognised brand such as Astell & Kern or Sony
—
An iPhone with Apple’s then-bundled dongle is perfectly fine.
With that said, a good music player is a nice thing to have and can sound better as well as offer options.
If you can afford it, consider a mature music player from a recognised brand such as Astell & Kern or Sony and stick to it.
—
Cables
— If you’re mainly going to use a portable music player … balanced can be an interesting option
—
Whether copper, silver-plated copper, etc., they can make subtle differences.
Single-ended versus balanced is more a question of power but single-ended is perfectly fine.
If you’re mainly going to use a portable music player and your earbuds, in-ear monitors or headphones benefit from a little more power, balanced can be an interesting option.
—
Earbuds, “in-ear monitors” and headphones
— Cost, comfort and tuning are key
—
Cost, comfort and tuning are key.
If one is a problem at one point, it’ll always be a problem.
Boutique audiophiles brands can be enticing but you better stick to a well-established brand who knows what they’re doing and have been doing it for a while.
—
Other useful tips
— Don’t compare too much, believe what you hear, not what you read
—
It’s all mainly about money.
Don’t compare too much, believe what you hear, not what you read.
You can have a quality product without the “in-ear monitor” and over-ear cable shenanigans.
—
So, what am I walking out with?
— Astell & Kern × Sony
—
Music player: Astell&Kern A&norma SR25 MKII
Headphones: Sony MDR-Z1R with Sony × Kimber cable
Earbuds: Sony XBA-3AP with Sony × Kimber cable
—
Anything else?
A heartfelt thank you to all whom helped me along the way. Enjoy your continued trip down the rabbit hole!
(\ /)
(oO)
c(“)(“)

You must be logged in to post a comment.