Happy Holidays... and an announcement.

Another year comes and goes, and we have seen the busiest year at this blog so far. I was a bit late last year, and even more so this years. For that, I'll like to apologize for those who are still waiting for review that are yet to come. However, there are also a few important announcements I'll like to make right after the break.



First of, I'll stop posting review and impression over at Head-fi.org, but not immediately. Promises have been made and I do intent to keep them, so I'll still post at HF at the short near future. But eventually all the review and impression will be limited to this blog only. Don't get me wrong that I am going 'pro' or quitting HF all together, which I am not. The original intention of In Ear Matters is to serve as a 'back up' place for my HF reviews, and so far I think it has done that part well. But for the same reasons why many senior member of my era have left HF, I too feel like I am getting too old for the younger generation of members and the general trend of posting. I guess I'll want to make a graceful exit while I still can - not as a forum member, but as a reviewer. I still like to stick around to read about the new stuff and other's thought, but likely won't be comment about them much more.

Second, there will be a general 'scale down', both in review size and number. I am so busy in life these days that I have to constantly delay some review. That's really not what I've envisioned when this blog started and certainly not something I am proud of. As I have said, I am not going pro - instead, I am going to do the opposite. Earphone is my passion and it is stronger than ever. I don't see myself giving it up any time soon. But as a amateur reviewer, it has taken a lot of effort for me to keep up with the market, both in time and money. Frankly I am also tired of rushing review and not actually enjoying the music. The only way to do this properly is to scale down, limit myself to those I believe are worth posting. I'll also like to see future review and impression becoming more like casual thought sharing than formal review.

Neither of these changes will come overnight, but they will come eventually. I'll still listen to as many IEM, earbuds and gears as I can, but I don't want to listen to them only as a reviewer, but more as an audiophiles and a music lover as well. I don't expect everything to go well, but it is a price I have to pay - and in a way, need to pay to move forward.