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.
recent posts
- From the FAQ: Will you get better sound quality using a Noise Canceling headphone via the 3.5 mm analog cable?
- Dan Clark Audio Aeon x Closed (Drop collaboration)
- Hifiman HE400se: A Worthy Entry-Level Planar Headphone
- Phil’s Top Ten Albums of 2025
- The Sennheiser HD 490 Pro: my new reference open back? A warning shot at Sonova? Both?
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.
Category: Uncategorized
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[MSRP $1099, $200 more with a tuning set, more with additional/upgraded cables.] [Tl;dr: These are an incredible pair of closed backs, from a technical standpoint, an artistic standpoint, and a dedication to craftsmanship standpoint. They are very expensive even for someone like me, and they’re definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but I…
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The post outlines essential concepts for building a headphone audio system, emphasizing four rules of hi-fi: personal preference, the value of used gear, the unpredictable interplay of components, and upgradeability. It details necessary equipment, types of headphones, and considerations for amplification, digital-to-analog converters, sources, media quality, and cables, stressing affordability and personal choice in audio…
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[MSRP $799. Purchased for $799 + tax on Amazon in January 2025.] [Tl;dr: These are my new favorite headphones, period. They’re not objective-focused; their tune is warm (and buttery, and magic), but if that’s something you’re interested in, I cannot recommend these strongly enough. They’re so good out of the box, in fact, that I’m…
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This was a strange year in music for me. I actually didn’t listen to that much “new” music in 2024, having spent a lot of time going back to older artists that I loved. It was also a year where a few of my favorites were the result of going to live shows with…
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This is a companion to my post the other day about my philosophy for building a stereo system, aka hi fi rack. I’ve broken it into tiers ranging from $500 to around $3,000. You can certainly spend way more than that on a stereo, but if you’re going to invest that kind of money you…
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I got asked the other day by a coworker about how I go about building an audio system, and I realized that while I’ve been working on this for more than a year, that I never actually posted it. So here it is. A tier list is coming soon. [Caveat 1: go talk to…
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I got a new pair of shoes a few weeks ago. They’re Merrell Nova 3 Trail Shoes* and I love them. They’re super comfy and rainbow colored. Last week someone asked me why I, a cis-het white dude, bought rainbow running shoes. The glib answer is that these happened to be on sale at…
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[MSRP $500] [Tl;dr: great pair of stand mount speakers. No particular complaints or suggestions, but may benefit from an amp with a fair amount of power, or in a smaller room/in near-field.] Scores: Cost-agnostic: 9 out of 10 Denalis Cost-sensitive: 9 out of 10…
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There’s been some super weird discourse the last few weeks about electric vehicles (EVs) on Threads, particularly with regards to charging vs. filling up a gas tank, time-wise. I love EVs. I love my EV, in particular. It’s my daily driver, and has been for almost two years at this point (bought it in June…
Phil's Superpower of Enthusiasm 