A Soundbsessive Manifesto

In the course of the last 6-7 years, I have been trying pretty much all the headphones in existence, owning mostly, reviewing many, writing impressions. I have also had experience in tuning certain orthodynamics, and, at some point, I started cultivating a strong passion towards digital reproduction, the main concerns involved, what makes tonality right, what makes music awake me, and how music relates with a subject.

I have been interested in the topic of “neutrality”, both from the point of view of the recording, and, even more importantly, “neutrality towards the listener”. The “hall of mirrors” mention in this website’s subtitle springs from these ideas, and in the emotion music awakens in us.
Due to interactions with many interesting personalities in the audio world (ranging from Moray James, cable manufacturer from Canada, to John Wright, holder of Museatex, to Pat Di Giacomo -ART-, Kevin Gilmore and many others), I started to build up more and more knowledge, centered towards my interests.
I learnt the pleasure of investigating, even into obscure matters, like cables, trying to stay in balance between ‘Voodoo’ and the actual science… with a general idea in mind: is a person making custom cables because they “have to sound good” (maybe because they are using good materials and connectors together, in a simple scheme), or did this person have an actual goal in mind? The goal is what makes something worth of being purchased, or to be evaluated.
This website sees its main goal in integrate all these experiences, which I, as well as others who shared many thoughts with me, had the possibility to make.
Many writeups will be integrated and updated, the maturity I have today.
I will be reviewing the equipment I have been most interested into, with a particular attention towards today’s most interesting offerings.
My own bias will be stated (mostly resulting in liking forward midrange, with tight bass and non-obsessive, non sibilant treble), and detached from the actual sound of the items under review.
There will be essays about software and digital processing, since even using a pc player like Foobar2000 would make a difference against a different product (let’s say JRiver, or any other). I’ll be writing about these, as soon as I will have something valuable and not generic to say.
I am also strongly interested in Android audio development, being it USB OTG (usb host to output the digital signal to the usb input of an external DAC); I am a fan of Voodoo kernel mods, which have been made for certain Android devices.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ll enjoy this project.

Tony