Hello, my name is Henry Tik, and I am the founder of Astral Acoustics. I was born and raised in Hong Kong, and I am proud to say that I am an audiophile at heart. My love for audio gear started when I was just a baby, thanks to my dad who is also an audiophile. Growing up, I was exposed to different types of audio equipment, and my passion for audio gear continued to grow.
I started to take my audiophile journey seriously when I was 13 years old. I came across a classmate who was rich and loaded with audio gear, and he showed me the world of personal audio. He introduced me to the CypherLabs stack and EarSonics sm64, and I was blown away. I was so inspired by this experience that I started to pursue audio gear as a hobby.
One specific moment that solidified my love for audiophile gear was when my friend and I went to a local audio shop and auditioned the old UERM. I was amazed by the sound quality and realized that this was something I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life. From that day on, I started trying different audio gear and discovering what I liked and didn't like.
Over the years, my audiophile journey has evolved, and I have tried a lot of different audio gear. I started with IEMs, moved on to headphones, and now I even appreciate home speaker systems. Some of my favorite pieces of audiophile equipment are the UeRR with Sony. I prefer a warm and low sibilant tuning, and these brands tend to get it right most of the time.
When I am selecting new pieces of equipment for my collection, I always audition them personally and read lots of reviews.
For those just starting their audiophile journey, my advice would be to try out everything and understand what sound signature you like. The primary decision is between warm or cold, sibilant or not. I recommend trying IEMs at the price point of $500-$800 USD, which are the mid-tiers. From there, you can decide if you want to pursue the TOTL IEM of the signature you liked. Otherwise, it would just be a waste of money.
In conclusion, my love for audiophile gear started from a young age, and it has continued to evolve over the years. I am grateful for the experiences I have had, and I hope to continue my audiophile journey for many more years to come.