Headphone Notes

A small site about listening to music on headphones — drivers, amps, and the small upgrades that genuinely change the sound.

Most "audiophile" advice online is selling something. The real question for most people is: what gives you the most listening pleasure for the money you can sensibly spend? The answer is rarely the latest reviewed model.

Where to start

Drivers matter more than the chassis. A pair of well-tuned planar magnetic headphones at €300 will outperform a poorly tuned dynamic at €1500. Read measurements before reviews.

What matters most

For closed-back daily use, the sweet spot is somewhere between €150 and €400. Above that, gains are small and only audible in dedicated quiet listening.

What to skip

A decent dedicated DAC/amp matters less than headphone choice. A modern phone or laptop already drives most consumer headphones acceptably. Buy the better headphone before the amp.