Phil's Superpower of Enthusiasm

A place to write about things I enjoy, for my own edification. Headphones, audio gear, albums, whiskey, wine, golden retrievers etc.

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Lawyer, unabashed nerd and geek. Purveyor and pusher of excellent sci-fi/fantasy, good food, and repartee. He/him. Dog dad/servant to @Goldendenali.

I’m experimenting with Amazon Affiliate status in an attempt to defray some of the costs of headphone reviews; Amazon links may be affiliate links (depending on whether or not I’ve figured out how to use them correctly). Please feel free to buy elsewhere; this is just one way to recoup the costs of this hobby.

Things I need to review as of April 2026

A golden retriever wearing large brown headphones in a room filled with books and vinyl records.
This focused golden retriever is ready for a relaxing afternoon of high-fidelity music and vintage vinyl.

Headphones:

  1. Focal Clear OG
  2. Updates:
    • Meze 109 Pro
    • Arya Stealth
  3. Sennheiser
    • HD 550
    • HD 515 (QR)
  4. HyperX Cloud IIIS
  5. Heddphone D1
  6. Grell OAE-1
  7. Meze
    • Empyrean II
    • Strada
    • 99 Classics v.2
  8. Hifiman
    • Audivina (QR)
    • HE-5XX (QR)
  9. AKG K701 (QR)
  10. Campfire Audio Holocene (QR)
  11. 3D Printed Headphones:
    • DMS Open Omega
    • Maya Audio Sword (QR)
    • Head(amame) Open & Closed (QR)
  12. ZMF Aeolus
  13. Micro reviews:
    • Hifiman HE-R9
    • Sundara Closed
    • Koss PortaPro
    • KSC 75
    • Cheap Chinese knock-off ZMF
    • Capra Audio Faunus
    • Shokz OpenRun SE

Source Gear:

  1. Fiio CP13 Cassette Deck (QR)
  2. Snowsky Echo Mini (QR)
  3. iBasso DX170 (QR)
  4. Topping DX5 II (QR)
  5. Holoaudio Bliss (KTE)
  6. Holoaudio Cyan 2 (QR)
  7. Apos Gremlin/Druid R2R (QR)
  8. iFi Hipdac v2 (QR)
  9. Micro reviews:
    • Matrix Audio Element i
    • Mytek Brooklyn Bridge
    • Schiit Fulla

Miscellaneous

  1. Bambu Printers
  2. Eibos Drybox
  3. Creality Space Pi X4

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