Where: Newark Community Center Building
35501 Cedar Boulevard, Newark, CA 94560
When: Feb 21, 2026 10 am to 5 pm PST
Who/What: We are an audio loving community that holds regular events to hang out and try each other’s gear and demo invited manufacturers. Come out to meet us and dive into the audiophile community!
Tom at Apos here, writing from Kunal’s place, where I’m crashing this weekend and documenting some behind-the-scenes moments of us preparing for Saturday’s Bay Area HiFi Con.
Kunal’s hosting me this weekend, which means he’s graciously putting up with my little rat boy ways. I’ve turned his spick and span apartment into a rat’s nest of cables, packing supplies, and takeout bags.
We got a delicious takeout lunch from Yellow Submarine (maybe the best sandwich you can get in Inner Sunset?) and were so pleased with ourselves that we called Alex and made him watch us eat. After, Kunal cracked the seal on some jars of pickled lemons he’s been aging for two years. Alex could tell how much we enjoyed them because we kept telling him about how much we enjoyed them. Eventually he lost his cool and tried to eat his screen:
After lunch, it’s back to testing equipment for the con. This year we’re using this cool little passive splitter box that lets you A/B test three input devices and three output devices as quickly as you can click a switch. It’ll make A/B testing different tubes in the Gremlin or different op-amps in the Druid faster than ever.
I’m not only excited about using this splitter at the con but back at the office for testing equipment. It makes me wonder if others would find something like this beneficial for their home setups.
Eagle eyes might spy the new Audio-Technica ATH-AD7000…
DAP charge party. We’ve got some FiiO, Cayin, and of course the almighty iPod Classic.
We had a blast at HiFiCon on Saturday listening to new gear, catching up with old friends, and showing off some new prototypes. Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth to chat with us, give our babies a listen, and offer feedback. We take everything you say into consideration, and it really does help us refine our approach.
This is our third year exhibiting, and watching the number of attendees grow each year is super gratifying. The meetup is such a magnet for talented makers, and we love seeing everyone get the attention they deserve!
