Garbage In, Garbage Out! Garbage in, garbage out was a common statement in my household growing up. Normally it wasn't being used in a musical sense but that the choices we make in life will impact how our lives will develop. But the same can be said about listening experiences. NOTE: Please keep in mind that I am not a professional sound engineer, producer, musician, or vocalist, etc. I have not done any scientific research, measurements, or in-depth testing of any kind; just my own listening, comparing and internet reading/research. I have limited, real-life experience with recording, mixi ..read more

"Honest opinions & reviews on audio related gear in a simple, basic way; limited edits, no flashy b-roll; not bloated with tech/spec terminology. If you seek honest audio reviews; you are watching the right channel. Enjoy the Music! Honesty is the best policy!" That is from the About page on my YouTube channel. A few days ago I did a poll in my community page that asked why on average only 25% of each of my videos are being watched; for example a video that is 10 minutes long will average being watched for 2.5 minutes. Here are the results of the poll as of the time of this writing: 270 vo ..read more

Often I get asked about my review process, whether or not I have dedicated music that I listen to, certain gear, burn-in and measurements. I do have a review process that I follow for each and every product. Several years ago I posted a video on YouTube that documented my review process. This is a very old video, beware of the cringe quality. https://youtu.be/UkSnoZZNyYc?si=39ZEn41-Uf5O7By2 Over the years, the processes mentioned in the video have been adjusted and tweaked. Even though the basics are the same some of the little things have been removed and others added. I thought it would be h ..read more

The audiophile community is an extremely passionate and dedicated group of individuals who seek to acquire the best audio reproduction and equipment available. They value high-quality sound reproduction and take great pride in their audio setups. With an ever-growing number of audiophile reviewers, it's easy to get overwhelmed and it's becoming increasingly difficult to discern true expertise from mere opinion. Audiophile reviewing has become highly competitive in recent years, as the sheer number of people devoted to reviewing audio equipment is staggering. But are there simply too many audio ..read more

It seems these days that a target curve is a requirement if you are going to do an audio review. And to be honest, I don't put a lot of thought into them. But a target curve does serve a purpose so I have finally created a target curve for your viewing pleasure. As an audiophile, I seek an accurate, reproduction of real life instruments and vocals. I enjoy critiquing each listening moment, dissecting the music through the gear, listening for naturalism and realism. My personal preference is in line with this target curve so you can say this is a two-for-one target curve. I created the Honest T ..read more

I am concerned! Very concerned!! This view is NOT pointed at anyone in particular but at the audio community as a whole. The audio community is a hot mess! YouTube, Discord, Patreon, websites and open forums; I have had no option but to leave many of them. Sadly, a lot of them have chosen to be toxic with attacking, bullying and full of content that is just disgusting and embarrassing for the audio community. I know that we all have varying opinions and impressions and experiences but we should be respectful and kind to all. The audio universe is vast and has insane amounts of paths to vent ..read more

How does the Honest Audiophile define a term that he uses during his review? Here is a guide for you in the Honest Audiophile's own words. A. Accuracy - The ability of the gear to reproduce the recording but it may or may not be an accurate presentation of the original. Aggressive - Reproducing audio in an excessive forward and bright manner. Airy - Reproducing audio in a free, open and fresh manner around instruments and vocalists. Airy is not restricted only to the upper treble frequencies but is audible in the entire frequency range. Alive - Quality of sound reproduction that offers realis ..read more

Honest - Is the quality of being fair, truthful; free of deceit and untruthfulness. Soundstage - Ability to accurately portray size, shape and acoustical cues of the original recording with the impression that the instruments and vocals are present. Depth - Ability to give an impression of the overall size of the stage from front to back. Width - Ability to give an impression of the overall size of the stage from side to side. Imaging - Ability to reproduce location and size of instruments and/or vocals within a soundstage. Layering - Reproduction of the various levels and rows within a sound ..read more

IEM's come in all sorts of designs but semi-open isn't very popular. There are all sorts of designs & technology found in IEM these days. Various driver type (balanced armature, dynamic, estat, planar, etc) hybrid multiple drivers, high driver counts, custom and universal shells (open, closed or semi open) and so much more. Fiio is offering an IEM of interesting design; a single Beryllium dynamic driver in a semi open, hockey stick shell. Does Fiio pull off a good tuning with this strange design? Disclaimer: A friend and subscriber, Jesse, provided the Fiio FD5 for review. I have not bee ..read more

I was 15 years old, I thought I was hot stuff carrying around my cassette tapes with my Sony Walkman clipped onto my belt strap. The small earbuds with the scruffy sponge pads were so cool. Easy to hide from your parents as long as you didn't play your music too loud. Easy to store and they were more durable than you would think based on the design. I was so excited to experience my past sonic memories when I received the package full of VE Monks and other stuff; does Venture Electronics bring back sonic memories of old or create new memories? Disclaimer: Lee Veclan from Venture Electronics p ..read more