Basically an FAQ, but mostly a place for me to leave advice on things I had pondered about and answered with experience.

<aside> ⚠️ This section is incomplete! It’s an early draft at best — feel free to read, but expect holes here and there.

</aside>

<aside> ℹ️ Some tips:

• Especially noteworthy sections are highlighted in yellow, like this one!
• Sections with a triangle bullet ( > ) are collapsible blocks. Click the arrow to read more. They’re generally hidden because they’re long explainers and I do not want to waste your time.

</aside>

Newbie Section: I’m interested, what’s this all about?

Q: I don’t have much time to read all this. What’s the best you can recommend for the average person?

The goal is to get a good pair of IEMs and a decent DAC/AMP to plug it in.

• Get starter IEMs. Aim for any of the sub-$100 IEMs. I’d go for:
  • BLON BL-03
  • Moondrop Aria
• Make sure you can actually connect these to your devices.
  • Get Apple’s Lightning to 3.5mm connector (if you’re on an iPhone); or
  • Get Apple’s USB-C to 3.5 mm connector (if you’re on Android); or
  • Get a Qudelix-5K (recommended) or FiiO BTR3

That’s it. However, if you want to go a bit further than this, there’s even more steps in the Audiophile section below: https://www.notion.so/jerieljan/Audio-Advice-Corner-f0fd199df3e44cfb8c23ac372d8d2b7a#38460295394d474da7ed67ad9bb666d6

Q: I already have the [insert reputable popular earbuds/headphones here], why should I bother? What motivates you? Sell me on the idea.

• Examples of [insert reputable popular earbuds/headphones here]. I’ll call these mainstream beyond this point.

My biggest reasons: superb audio quality is a mind-blowing experience, and it serves you in the long-term.

• Here’s my ramblings on why good audio quality is awesome. But I’m hiding it because you’re probably already convinced about that.

Next is long-term. In general, this hobby pays off in the long-term because: