After more than a decade reviewing audio gear, Zeos of Z Reviews has seen it all—DACs with longer menus than the Cheesecake Factory, headphone amps with more buttons than a cockpit, and a thousand different ways to complicate what should be simple. So when it came time to design his own gear with Leo of Orchard Audio, he went in the opposite direction. In this conversation, Zeos unpacks his thinking behind Valencia—a minimalist power amp that strips away gain stages, volume knobs, and inputs in favor of clean, uncolored signal. We talk about market fatigue, feature bloat, and why sometimes the best audio gear is the one you don’t notice at all.
Before Leo Ayzenshtat ever designed an amp, he was specializing in high-stakes engineering for NASA, Lockheed Martin, and Siemens, where failure wasn't an option and every component had to earn its place. But in pursuit of better sound at home, he started applying that same rigor to a new frontier: audio. In this conversation, Leo walks us through the origin of Orchard Audio: from designing a DAC for his own living room to launching a company known for minimalist, high-performance gear. We talk about the lessons he brought from aerospace, the challenges of running a lean business without compromising on sound, and why accessibility, simplicity, and sonic excellence don’t have to be at odds.
James Alvarado didn’t set out to start an audio company. He just wanted his headphones to work without spending a fortune or waiting three weeks for a cable to ship. So he dusted off his soldering skills, made a few cables, and ended up launching one of the most beloved names in the DIY audio scene. In this conversation, James walks us through the origin of Hart Audio Cables—from late-night builds in a Texas garage to managing a growing team. We talk about what it means to build a business with purpose, how music always comes first, and why sometimes the best way forward is just figuring it out as you go.
Some people fall into the world of audio because of their love for music. For the founder of YULONG Audio, it started with a radio, a screwdriver, and a dangerous level of curiosity. That childhood urge to take things apart—to understand what makes a voice crackle through a speaker—never went away. It just got more refined. In this interview, we talk about how a teenage obsession with FM radios turned into a lifelong pursuit of high-fidelity design.
Most people get product ideas in the shower or in the midst of a long drive. Mohil got his during a boss fight. As a lifelong gamer and glasses-wearer, he knew the pain of headset discomfort all too well—so he did something most people would never dream of doing: he solved the problem himself. In this interview, we talk with Mohil, founder of OcuClips, about what it takes to turn an annoying personal problem into a polished product. He shares the winding path from rough sketches to production-ready parts, how an iOS wizard game led to other ideas, and why every designer should respect the exactitude of the millimeter.
Some people get into high-end audio because they’re chasing that last half-percent of sonic perfection. Others simply want headphones that don’t make a grand piano sound like it was recorded through a drive-thru intercom. And then there’s Jeffrey Yin of SJY Audio, who looked at the entire industry and said, “Watch this.” In this Q&A, we chat with Jeffrey on why he started making headphones, how he landed on forged carbon fiber for the ear cups, and why the Horizon Closed Carbon’s rectangular drivers give it an acoustic edge. There's a method to his madness—and about 60 driver iterations to prove it.
Kunal at Apos here. The last few hours have been a whirlwind as we’ve been receiving updates about new tariffs and USPS’ evolving policies regarding international shipments. Our involvement in the community and your trust in us is hugely important, and we met as a team this morning to discuss our best move. We are watching the situation closely and gathering all the information so that we can clearly communicate updates to you.
After working it out with GMK we wanted to let everyone know that we will be fulfilling a number of already-produced group buy keycap sets which couldn’t be delivered due to financial issues with the vendor, Kono.