Hi-Fi audio: Why I got into this rabbit hole

In this new series on hi-fi audio, I explain why I got into it, what a DAP even is, and which hardware I ended up picking.

This is a new series about my latest obsession: Hi-Fi audio. I only got into it recently (as mentioned in a recent overkill digest newsletter, you should subscribe!), but I’ll be sharing everything I learn along the way.

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You can find the rest of this series under the 'hi-fi' tag.

I'm probably not an audiophile. I'm fairly convinced that if I would do a test, I'd fail it miserably (unfortunately, it looks like this NPR test was taken offline). Yet, if I listen to a lossless version of a song I like I'm convinced I can perceive a difference. Maybe I'm gaslighting myself, maybe it's placebo, but it's good enough for me to go down this rabbit hole.

But the reason I got into it the first place is because of two things:

I'm annoyed by how much I'm dependent of my phone;
Spotify, the service I've been using thus far, is turning to absolute shit and getting more expensive while doing so.

The first reason is a different series altogether (probably coming soon), but let's talk about Spotify.

I first subscribed to Spotify when it was a Sweden-only service, thanks to some clever hacks and VPNs. Back then, the service felt like a revolution. All the music, all the time, for a flat monthly fee was groundbreaking. All my tech-y friends tried hard to find ways to sign up.

Over time, the service became so huge, and now it's much more than just music. In Spotify you'll now find music, podcasts, music videos, and audiobooks. It's basically trying to be the everything audio app. I couldn't care less. I barely listen to audiobooks, I use Pocket Casts for podcasts, and I don't care about music videos.

But I could easily ignore all that, if it weren't for one thing, that bothers me so much: AI slop.

For months now, Spotify has been adding AI-created music to my different playlists, like Release Radar or Discover Weekly. Often, it's some random small musician using an AI version of a big rapper to somehow push their BS to playlists. It doesn't matter how often I keep downvoting the music or the artist, one week later, the same artist reappears in my playlist.

In the latest *Release Radar,* Spotify hid the music by this "band", since I muted the artist before. But still decided to add it to the playlist. What?!

So my increasing frustration with AI in Spotify, along with my annoyance with my smartphone led to me going down this rabbit hole.

It first started with me looking for alternatives to my phone that could play music. There is in fact a huge world of so-called DAPs, which stands for digital audio players. Basically, these are the high-end versions of your old iPod or MP3 player (depending on your age). They use higher-quality audio components, like dedicated DACs (digital-to-analog converters) and headphone amps, often the kind you’d usually find in home audio setups. Many of them also support lossless and high-resolution file formats like FLAC.

Some of these models run a custom OS just for music playback, while others are full-blown Android devices. The latter ones are often more expensive, but the advantage is that you can install streaming services like Spotify or YouTube Music, and podcast apps like Pocket Casts. You could technically install TikTok, but come on!

I ended up picking the FIIO M21, which costs around $329. I plan to review the DAP.

Another important variable in this hobby is what you’re listening through, usually either in-ear monitors (IEMs) or over-ear headphones.

As I plan to also use the FIIO on the go, I went for IEMs. But here is where it gets tricky. As long as you pick a good pair of IEMs (and they don't even need to be expensive; you can easily get started under $100), it all comes down to preference. Do you prefer more bass? More highs? Do you want a v-shape? Do you prefer your IEMs flat? I plan to write more about what all of this means, but the point I want to make is that the best way to pick IEMs is to listen to IEMs. Or if you know what frequency response curve (more on this soon) you like you can just compare.

But if, like me, you only got started, you probably have no clue. Also, living in Luxembourg, my options for simply trying IEMs before buying them were non-existent.

So I ended up asking around, perused a few forums, and decided to pick up the Moondrop Aria 2. (By coincidence, another company also decided to send me these, which haven't even officially launched yet. I will review both pair of IEMs.)

Currently, I'm waiting for everything to ship, and I'm using the time to find an alternative to Spotify. This is what my music folder on my phone currently looks like:

The "Music" app is *Apple Music. Plexamp* is for the music I purchased.

I will write more about music services in the future, but so far I'm liking Apple Music. However, I still need to give Tidal a proper trial.

As you can see, this rabbit hole goes deep, and I feel like I've only just touched the surface. But I already have a list of things that I want to write about, and it might only get bigger. (Subscribe to the newsletter to get notified once a week whenever there is something new.)