The more you write the more personal your work becomes. It is like a journey that starts randomly and evolves into a something you become a part of. That is basically how I immersed myself into the audio hobby. In 2009 I needed some headphones for private music listening. Since then I went from a Sony MDR-V6 and Head-Fi to “save the marketing B.S. for your sheeple.”

If there is one thing in life that has kept me sane it has been and still is music. At seventeen I started collecting albums and from obsessing over Funk, James Brown to discovering Jazz and Metal I started to look for better sound. After a while I noticed how bad some speakers sounded.

The audio hobby, audiophilia or being an audiophile is comparable with photography. You start simple and build your system until you upgrade components which means getting new gear. Upgraditis or “the urge to get better gear” is a real thing. Even when you keep the hobby affordable, sometimes temptations lurks. You have to find out what works for you.

There is much to discover in this hobby. Fellow hobbyists love sharing their music and experiences. The evolving technology, media (as in music carriers) and sheer joy of hearing good renditions of music are rewarding aspects of this hobby. In about fifty years the world went from DT48 headphones to the Sennheiser HD800. New developments are still taking place.

For me the audio hobby is a way to get closer to music. I never properly learnt to play an instrument. A good audio system and a varied music collection made me appreciate how many unique artists existed. Music is more than you realise when you discover artists like Pat Martino, King Crimson, Kate Bush and the Pixies. Sometimes you simply think that the world needs more J.S. Bach.

I will never be done with collecting music. There is so much out there. All I can do is listen to one album at the time and enjoy what is there. This morning I started with Prince’s album for the “Batman” soundtrack.

Oh the picture? HD600 and KSC75. Audio gems can be affordable.