I ask myself, what is the point in it all? [in all this audio enthusiasm].  I should say I quickly arrive at two answers.


-- TL;DR version - This is a long introduction and side theory to an easy question, already asked in the thread title.

You don't need to overthink it, just think of the most uplifting feeling/s [due to sound] you've experienced in portable audio, easy! --


1.  The perfect sound

It's intuitive achieving the perfect sound is a very sensible aim for all of this.  I think most would agree this comes in the form of speakers -- magnificent and deeply natural, rich, detailed, shimmering, esoteric, luminescent, towering speakers... connected to an amplifier and DAC which possess similar qualities.


2.  Novelty

The novelty of new sounds and the novelty of owning the latest releases, the novelty of aesthetics, uniqueness, of owning something which others don't, of hearing that chasm of audio space which others are not hearing, limited by their ineptitude or lack of finances.  The novelty of higher detail retrieval, like night vision, or sub-sonic bass, cars which can drive around saying uhhhhn uhhhhn uhhhhn.

Then there's the novelty of art if you think the sound a product emits is actually so special or well-crafted it deserves it's own separate admiration, with this caveat in place a weaker performing product in the technical spectra or cheaply priced product can be held in higher esteem... at times -- all too conveniently art is subjectively inclined and therefore someone can say they found the latest Kafka or Mozart so to speak, even if they actually didn't.

There is a certain dismay here, since audio equipment is not easily shared, and there are capitalistic intentions at heart.

Any way you toss and turn it, it's clear the subsets of novelty and new releases are a clear driving force within the audio industry and audio enthusiasm niche.


Even if these two summations above - at least for me - are pretty much the apple in apple pie, there is still something amiss here.

I think a third category may help...


3.  Upliftingness

If a product - or more accurately the sound of a product - can enhance your mood or state of mind, I think this is an asset in and of itself.  This is also intertwined with the actual point in listening to music.

In "1." I covered speakers - however, speakers have a limitation... they're limited to something called houses / apartments.

Houses and apartments don't move very well.


The solution to this is something called "portable audio".  I think portable audio is rich in striving for perfection and rich in novelty / variation.  After a while listening to all the sub-perfection and sometimes dismal or short-lived novelty becomes tiring and empty, however.

There is still a vivid light found in the upliftingness of audio, though.  So herein I arrive at the follow-up to this piece of text -- what is the most uplifting portable audio setup you've heard?


It could be simply your favourite setup, the most enjoyable session you've had, what you use for study / focus, what you use at the gym for the most inspiring effect, what keeps you entertained on long commutes, what communicates the music to you most convincingly... and so on.

I don't think I'm alone in enjoying the portable audio sector and desiring an uplifting effect, rather than simply appreciating technical prowess, for the sake of it.

So, let's share some experiences!

Pictures are pretty too.


If you don't agree with my synopsis I'd be interested to know why, by the way.