Amos Barnett, also known as Currawong, is a well-known audio reviewer and content creator on Head-Fi and YouTube. Originally from Australia, he is based in Japan and has been writing about and reviewing audio equipment for over a decade and a half. His reviews cover a wide range of audio products, including headphones, headphone amplifiers, and portable audio equipment.
Amos is known for his thorough and detailed reviews, as well as his ability to explain technical concepts in a clear and understandable way. He is also respected for his objectivity and honesty in his reviews, and is often sought out for his opinions on the latest audio products.
Amos joined Head-Fi in 2008 seeking out a better pair of headphones than the old, but still good MB Quart model he’d been using for 15 years. Delving deep into the hobby, he was eventually asked to moderate, then become an administrator of the forums, a role from which he has since retired.
Amos’ background in science — many of his relatives were scientists — his father was a behaviour scientist, his uncle wrote a definitive encyclopaedia of yeasts, and other relatives were involved in science publications, genetics, and other forms of research — exposed him to science and the principles behind scientific research.
Amos himself worked at Australia’s National Science and Technology Centre and also spent many years working with computers in one way or another.
Amos considers ethics to be most important. “I know that manufacturers respect me for my ethics when I review products. Giving as clear an explanation as possible about a product so that someone can get an idea whether to buy it or not I consider to be very important. A customer that buys a product because of a purely glowing review and then dislikes it is not just of no benefit to a manufacturer, but bad for them, as they are likely to be vocal in their displeasure. The honest manufacturers out there understand this and wish only people who will enjoy their products to buy them, respecting reasoned and balanced reviews. This is what I aim to provide.”
Primary System
- Mac Mini 2012 i7 Roon Library
- MacBook Pro M2 with HQPlayer
- Raspberry Pi with DietPi
- Kitsune SU-1 USB Audio Bridge
- PS Audio Power Plant Premier
- Audio-gd filtered power board
- Chord TT2 & MScaler, Chord Hugo 2, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil Analog 2, Audio-gd R-27HE
- Van Den Hul and Nanotec interconnects.
- ALO Audio Studio Six, Audio-gd Master 9 or Master 10
- Audeze LCD-R, HiFiMan Susvara, FINAL D8000 Pro, DCA Expanse and Stealth, Meze Elite headphones or ELAC FS247BE speakers.
Current and former gear list
Apple Airpods Pro 2
Audeze Mobius
Audeze LCD-R
Audeze LCD-X (first production housing, 2021 drivers) and XC (very first drivers, samples)
Audeze LCD-XC (2013 + 2021, samples)
Audio Technica ESW9LTD – Unboxing
Campfire Audio Cascade (sample)
Dali iO6 (sample)
Dan Clark Audio E3 (sample)
Dan Clark Audio Expanse (sample)
Dan Clark Audio Stealth (sample) – Video review
Drop Sennheiser HD6XX (sample)
FiiO EH3NC (sample)
Final D8000, D8000 Pro (samples)
Focal Utopia 2022
HiFiMan Arya Stealth (sample)
HiFiMan Susvara (sample)
MB Quart QP400
MB Quart QP55X (my original “high-end” headphones that got me into this mess back in the early 1990’s)
Meze 109 Pro (sample)
Meze 99 Classic & Neo (samples)
Meze Elite
Meze Liric (sample)
Meze Liric 2 (sample)
Sony WH1000XM4
Symphones Magnum VX (325is-based)
Symphones Magnum MS2i-based (V7 drivers)
VectorScan VSH5 (Audio Technica ATH-2)
▶ Owned or Borrowed
AKG/Massdrop K7XX
AKG K701 (ALO re-cabled)
Audeze LCD-3
Audeze LCD-2 (Rev. 2)
Audeze LCD-2 (Rev. 1)
Audio Technica W3000ANV
Audio Technica AD2000
Audio Technica A1000X
Audio Technica ESW10JPN
Audio-Technica W11JPN, W10LTD, W10VGT, ESW10JPN, ES10, ESW9 and others.
Denon D5000 (with the pre-Lawton Audio markl mods)
Denon D2000, D7000
Drop Panda
Drop Focal Elex
Drop Koss ESP95/X
FitEar FitEar
FitEar Parterre
Fit Ear TO GO! 334
Head-Direct RE-ZERO
Head-Direct HE5
HiFiMan HE1000 V1
Jerry Harvey Roxanne II Universal
JVC HA-FXZ200
Meze Empyrean
MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Open
Mr Speakers Ether
MrSpeakers Ether C
MrSpeakers Ether C Flow
Noontec Zoro II
Sennheiser HD-600
Sennheiser HD-800
Shure SH-440, SH-840, SH-940
Sony MDR-Z1000
Sony Qualia 010
Stax Omega I
Stax SR-009
Stax SR007A “Omega II”
Stax SR007 “Omega II”
Stax SR-404LE
Stax Lambda Nova Signature
Stax SR-5NB Gold
Thunderpants
Tralucent 1plus2 (with silver and Uber cables)
Ultimate Ears Triple-fi.10
Ultimate Ears Super-fi.3 Studio
Ultrasone Edition 8
Ultrasone Edition 9
Ultrasone Performance 840, 860, 880
V-MODA M80
V-MODA LP2
Audio Dream Diaboli
Campfire Audio Andromeda (sample) Unboxing
Campfire Audio Ara (sample)
Campfire Audio Atlas (sample)
Campfire Audio Vega (sample)
Campfire Audio Solaris (sample)
Cayin Fantasy (sample)
DITA Audio The Answer Truth Edition (sample)
DUNU LUNA
Fearless Crinacle Dawn (sample)
Final A3000, A4000, A8000 (samples)
Jerry Harvey JH-13 Freqphase with Norne cable
JHAudio Layla universal (sample)
Jerry Harvey Roxanne Universal (pre-production demo unit, sample)
FiiO FH3
FiiO FH7
FiiO FD5
FiiO FA7, FA9
HiFiMan RE2000 (sample)
Sony XBA-30
Sony XBA-3
Ultimate Ears UE LIVE (sample)
Ultimate Ears Reference Remastered (sample)
Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors (sample)
Previously owned or borrowed
Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020, Solaris 2020, Andromeda MW10
Sony IER-Z1R
(Tubes: Sylvania “Fat Boy” 6SN7 or WE 2C51, Toshiba, Phillips or Sylvania 6V6GT, Mullard CV1833, Mullard metal base 5AR4)
APEX Sangaku (sample)
Audio-gd R2R-11 Mark 2 (sample)
Audio-gd R-27HE (sample)
Aune S17 Pro (sample)
Chord Mojo (sample)
Chord Hugo 2 (sample)
Chord TT2 & M Scaler (on loan)
Drop Cavalli Tube Hybrid (CTH) (sample)
FiiO K3 (sample)
FiiO E10K (sample)
Headamp GS-X mini (on loan)
Schiit Audio Asgard 3 (sample)
Schiit Audio Jotunheim 2 (sample)
Schiit Audio Lyr 3 (sample)
Schiit Audio Magni 3+ (sample)
Schiit Audio Magni Heresy (sample)
Schiit Audio Valhalla 2 (sample)
Schiit Audio Vali 2 (sample)
Schiit Audio Vali 2+ (sample)
Schiit Audio Mjolnir 3
Schiit Audio Syn (sample)
xDuoo TA-30 (sample)
▶ Owned or Borrowed
ALO Audio PanAm
Audio-gd Fun
Audio-gd NFB-1AMP
Audio-gd NFB-11
Audio-gd R2R-11
Audio-gd Sparrow
Audio-gd Phoenix
Audio-gd C2C
Audio-gd Compass
Audiovalve RKV Mark II with Impedenzer
Audiovalve Solaris
Bakoon HPA-01
Cavalli Stacker II
Drop THX AAA 789
Drop THX AAA ONE
Fostex HP-P1
Furutech ADL Esprit
Headroom Portable Desktop
Inspire by Dennis Had Dragon IHA-1
iFi Neo iDSD
iFi Pro iDSD
iRiver AK100 (modded)
Leckerton UHA-6II
Luxman P-1
Luxman P-1u
Luxman SQ-N100
Luxman D-321
Parasound Zamp
Singxer SA-1
SMSL SH-9
Soncoz SGA1
Soundaware M1 & M1 Pro (review units)
Soundaware P1
Stax T1S
Triad Audio L3
Yamamoto HA-02
Cayin N3Pro
Cayin N6ii (A01, T01, E01, E02, R01)
iFi iDSD Diablo (sample)
iFi iDSD Signature (sample)
FiiO M9, M11, M11 Pro, M11 Plus, M17, Q3, BTR5, M3 Pro, Q5S (Review samples)
FiiO Q5 (Brooko’s Review) (review sample)
Cozoy Rei (review sample)
ALO Audio Continental V5 (review sample)
Astell & Kern AK380 (Demo unit)
FiiO X7 (Review unit) Unboxing | Review
Shanling M0, M2X
ALO Audio Rx (2015 IEM version, review unit)
Calyx M (review unit)
Sound Potion Monolith (review unit)
O2 (DIY)
▶ DACs
Audio-gd R2R-11 Mark 2 (sample)
Chord Hugo 2 (sample)
Chord Mojo (sample)
Chord Hugo TT2 (on loan)
Schiit Audio Bifrost 2 (sample)
Schiit Audio Bifrost 2/64 (sample)
Schiit Audio Modi 3+ (sample)
Schiit Audio Modi Multibit (sample)
Schiit Audio Modi Multibit 2 (sample)
Schiit Audio Yggdrasil Analog 2 – Review
▶ Transports (see also the DAPs in the Portable tab)
Chord MScaler (on loan)
Kitsune SU-1
Raspberry Pi 3b with DietPi
iFi iUSB 3.0
iPad Mini Retina
iPhone 15 Pro Max, X
iPod Classic 160GB
Mac Mini 2012
MacBook Pro M2
Soundaware D300REF (on loan)
▶ Borrowed and Tried
Assemblage DAC 3.0
Benchmark DAC 1 (original, pre-USB version)
Esoteric D05 DAC
Esoteric K-01 SACD player
iFi Pro iDSD
Marantz Project D-1
Nakamichi Dragon DAC
ODAC
Yamaha S1000 SACD Player
▶ Previous Digital Components
Audio-gd R2R 7 – Preview | Review
Audio-gd NOS-1704
Audiophilleo 1 with Pure Power
Astel&Kern AK240
Audio-gd Master 7
Anedio D2
Audio-gd Reference 7.1
Audio-gd Reference 3
Audio-gd Reference 1 (v5 DSP)
Apogee Duet 2 USB
Audioquest Dragonfly
Calyx DAC 24/192
Cambridge Audio Azur 840c
Fostex HP-P1
iBasso DX100
iRiver AK100 (Mezzo modded)
Lavry DA10
Luxman D-121 CDP (Long before Head-Fi)
Metric Halo ULN-2
Metrum Octave
Northstar M192 MKI
Parasound DAC 1600 HD
Resonessence Invicta
Onkyo DV-SP502 SACD player
Schiit Audio Modi 3
SMSL SU-9
Soncoz LA-QXD1
Soncoz SGD1
Soundaware D100PRO
Zero DAC/amp (modified)
Thorens TD-125 Long Base with SME M2
▶ Headphone Cables
Kimber Cable for HD800
DITA Audio Dream cable
Moon Audio Silver Dragon and Black Dragon (various)
Norne Audio Vanquish (HD-800) & Vorpal (UERM/JH-13)
WyWires (HD-800 and Audeze)
ALO Audio Reference 16 (HD-800 and Audeze)
UERM balanced for AK balanced
▶ Interconnects
Moon Audio Silver Dragon RCA.
ALO Audio Reference 20 RCA
Van Den Hul The Mountain 3T XLR.
Van Den Hul The Orchid XLR and RCA.
Van Den Hul The Gold Hybrid RCA.
Van Den Hul The Thunderline RCA & XLR.
Van Den Hul The First Ultimate Metal Screen RCA.
Norse Audio Skuld XLR.
Nanotec #208 & #211 cables (DIY)
▶ Digital Cables
Van Den Hul The Optocoupler
SysConcept 1300 strand optical cables.
Canare RCA and BNC cables.
Oyaide d+ Neo USB
▶ Power Cables
Audio-gd power cables re-terminated with AET plugs.
DIY Oyaide + CryoMax III power cables.
DIY Oyaide + Van Den Hul Mainstream power cables.
Oyaide PA-23
Other DIY power cables