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My Listening Gear – The Daily Groove

My Listening Gear – The Daily Groove
Photo by Mark Rohan / Unsplash

Here’s a list of all the gear I use to listen to music — at home, at the office, and on the go. Let’s go!

Sources

I’m a digital boy — no CDs, no vinyl, no cassettes. Everything lives in the cloud or on my drives.

Spotify: My main source for daily listening. I’ve been subscribed since it launched in Belgium. With the recent addition of CD-quality streaming, it’s more than good enough for serious listening.

Plex: Before I went fully digital, I ripped my old CDs to FLAC and stored them on my server. Plex and Plexamp let me stream that lossless library anywhere — especially useful for indie bands, soundtracks, and releases not found on Spotify.

DAC/DAP

Once the music’s digital, you still need something to convert it into sound your headphones can understand. That’s where these come in.

  • Apple / Samsung Dongles — pocketable, simple, great for IEMs.
  • Snowsky Echo Nano — USB-C or Bluetooth, makes IEMs wireless without much compromise.
  • Snowsky Echo Mini (DAP) — my travel favorite; supports FLAC, DSD, balanced output, and drives everything up to my DT770s. Tiny, clean, and ridiculously capable for the price.
  • Fiio K11 — desktop DAC/AMP, more power than I'll ever need to properly drive my demanding headphones, 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced output, rear out for speakers, plenty of inputs as well. LCD display, hardware volume knob.

In Ear Monitors

Compact, isolating, and absurdly good value these days. I use them while commuting, walking, or when I need long comfort at the office.

  • Truthear Hexa — neutral with great technicalities; detailed and precise.
  • Truthear Pure — slightly warmer and smoother; perfect for relaxed sessions.
  • Truthear Gate — the best $20 “beater” IEM with a killer stock cable.
  • Truthear x Crinacle Zero: Blue 2 — my current “fun” pair; boosted bass, crisp highs, pure enjoyment.

Headphones

These stay at home or at my desk — the open-backs leak too much sound for public use, apart from the closed DT770.

  • Samson SR850 — cheap, wide soundstage, uncomfortable but oddly loveable.
  • Sennheiser HD599 SE — smooth, comfy, detailed; perfect for vocals and jazz.
  • Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (80 Ω) — closed-back, punchy bass, lively treble; my office workhorse.
  • Hifiman HE400SE — entry into planar magnetics; meaty bass, rich detail, and great soundstage.
  • Sennheiser HD6XX — reference-grade classic; intimate vocals, natural timbre, needs power but rewards it beautifully.

Speakers

For when you don't want anything on your head.

  • Edifier R1280T — small bookshelf speakers with a wide soundstage and clean tone; perfect for casual sessions.

Footnote

This setup changes over time, but that’s part of the fun. I’m not chasing perfection — just combinations that make me want to listen longer.