Everything between the record and your ears. Tap any part to zoom in: what goes into it, what plugs into it, and what it pairs with.
01how it connects
Music passes through a chain: a source, something that turns it into a signal, an amp to make that signal strong, and the speakers or headphones that move air.
The last link changes the sound most, so spend in that order: speakers or headphones first, then the amp, then the DAC.
The radios here stream through YouTube, which is compressed. Good gear still makes it sound better.
0212 parts
Where the music starts. Every chain begins with one of these.
0310 parts
What goes into the sources, and which source plays each one.
047 parts
Everything between the source and the amp: boosting, converting, choosing and shaping.
058 parts
The power stage. It takes a small line signal and makes it strong enough to move drivers.
0611 parts
Where the signal becomes air. The last three are the drivers inside every one of them.
0711 parts
Speakers you wear. Over-ear, in-ear, wired and wireless, plus the parts that set the fit.
0816 parts
Every cable and plug in the chain, drawn from the side.
0913 parts
The room and the care. Small things that change how everything else sounds.
10the words on the box
11save your money
Expensive cables. A cable needs to be well made and thick enough for the distance; beyond that, it changes nothing you can hear. A digital cable either works or it doesn't.
Huge numbers. Frequency ranges past what anyone hears, sample rates in the hundreds of kilohertz, and watts you'll never use are marketing more than music.
Burn-in. Headphones and speakers change very little after the first hours. Your ears getting used to them changes more.
What does matter, and costs little: turn off "sound enhancement," "spatial" and "bass boost" settings unless you like them; set streaming apps to their highest quality; and if something sounds off, a gentle EQ cut (a few dB where it's too much) beats a big boost.
12the last part of every chain
They're the only part you can't replace. Loud sound for long stretches damages hearing for good, and it builds up without hurting. A simple rule: if you can't talk to someone next to you over the music, or your ears ring afterwards, it's too loud. Good gear sounds better quieter, which is the best reason to own it. Take breaks, and give your ears quiet days.
