The Audio Stuff - Reviews & PRO Tools

Hi, I'm Jakub. I run The Audio Stuff, a hi-fi review site I started in 2023 because I was tired of reviews that read like press releases. These days it's me and one other reviewer, Bastien, writing about headphones, DACs, amps, speakers and the odd microphone.

How I review stuff

Nothing fancy. Each product gets at least two weeks of daily listening, across different genres and sources. It always goes into the same setup, so a review from March still compares fairly with one from September.

To be upfront about the limits: this is listening, not a lab. I don't run measurements in-house, and the specs I quote come from the manufacturers (I correct them when a maker's own page says something different). I explain exactly what a score can and can't tell you on the how we test page.

Every review gets a score out of 10, and the median so far is 8.1. Only three products have earned the top Reference verdict, and some reviews end with a Mixed verdict. The Douk Audio U2 Pro was one of those.

Things people seem to like

• The "watch out for" line. Every review names the main catch. The HIFIMAN HE1000se is the best headphone I've reviewed, and its treble is still bright and peaky. Better to know that before you spend $1,700.
• Comparisons. When two products score close together, I put them side by side and pick one. There are 35 so far.
• Buying guides that only include gear I've actually reviewed, like best open-back headphones or best DACs. No padding from spec sheets.
• The Help Me Choose quiz, for when you have no idea where to start. It asks four questions and gives you a short list.

And yes, I reviewed a $3,000 network router. It did lower the noise floor in my system. It's also $3,000 for a router. Both of those are in the review.

The tools (probably the most "app" part)

Since this is an app directory, these are what I'd point you to first. I built a set of 17 free audio tools that run right in your browser. You don't sign up, nothing gets uploaded, and your files stay on your device. A few good ones to start with:

• ABX blind test: find out whether you can really hear the difference between two files. It gives you a p-value, which can be humbling.
• FLAC & hi-res checker: drop in a "24-bit" file and see whether there's actually anything above 22 kHz.
• Headphone power calculator: checks whether your amp can really drive those headphones.
• Room mode calculator: shows why the bass booms in one corner of your room and vanishes in another.
• Speaker & headphone test: left/right, phase and how low the bass goes. Useful after you rewire something.
• EQ ear training: a small game that teaches you to recognize frequencies. Harder than it sounds.

Money stuff

There are no ads and no affiliate links on the site. Brands sometimes lend me units, the review says so when they do, and the units go back afterwards. Brands don't get to read a review before it's published. Reading the site is free, and so are the tools.

Have a look

• All 70 reviews, sorted into headphones, DACs, speakers, headphone amps and a few other categories
• The glossary, if terms like "R-2R" or "soundstage" sound like nonsense to you
• Video reviews on YouTube

If something's broken or you think I got a review wrong, you can reach me here.