The Honest Audiophile Tier List — Built My Way

I’ve been asked for a tier list for years, but I never wanted to create one until I could make it uniquely mine. I didn’t want another generic chart with the same recycled grading system everyone else uses. If I was going to build this, it needed to reflect my experience, my language, and my approach to evaluating audio gear.

This list is exactly that — honest, fun, and personal. It’s a living document that will continue to evolve as I revisit products, refine my thoughts, and learn more along the way.

My Ranking Grades

I designed this grading system to be simple, intuitive, and true to how I talk about gear. Each grade includes a clear meaning and purchase recommendation.

GRADE	MEANING	PURCHASE ADVICE
A	Awful	Stop
B	Bad	Risky
C	Capable	Worth Chance
D	Delicious	Value
E	Excellent	Above & Beyond
F	Flawless	Superior

A minus is the lowest within a letter, a plus is the highest.

What’s Inside the Tier List

To make this list genuinely useful, it includes dedicated tabs for:

• Grade

• IEMs

• Headphones

• DAC/Amps

• Dongles / Portable DAC/Amps

• DAPs

• Speakers

• CD Players

You can sort the list by Manufacturer, Model, Price, Type, Driver, or Grade to explore the data however you prefer.

A Few Notes

• This is my personal tier list — it will differ from other reviewers and from your own experiences.

• For deeper context, check the full reviews linked throughout the site.

• Grades may shift over time as I revisit gear and update my references.

Explore the List

Enjoy digging in, comparing, and discovering what stands out. That’s part of what makes this hobby so much fun.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IIgmQlIVSkqhfxCS7n8mQ-N3aYTL6WbOKe6Fy0tBrN8/edit?usp=sharing

I am Dave the Honest Audiophile. Thanks for reading, and I will catch you in the next one. Don't forget to enjoy the music and that honesty is the BEST policy!

I am not a professional sound engineer, producer, musician, or vocalist, etc. I have not done any scientific research, measurements, or in-depth testing of any kind; just my own listening, comparing and internet reading/research.  I have limited, real-life experience with recording, mixing and mastering gear.  I have been involved since my teenage years with various churches as an amateur sound booth technician.

Please take these thoughts, opinions and reasonings as just that, my honest audiophile thoughts, opinions and reasonings.

Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/B4LG7Kqp_7f/?igshid=1pj7fm78gz0h2

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TalkDbs @TalkDbs

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thehonestaudiophile

Discord: https://discord.gg/ZveuNxKxXY

Website: https://www.thehonestaudiophile.com

About Me:

The Honest Audiophile research/review process: https://www.thehonestaudiophile.com/post/honest-audiophile-review-process

Audio Terms/Definitions: https://www.thehonestaudiophile.com/post/the-honest-audiophile-s-terms-and-definitions-guide

Reference Music:

https://www.thehonestaudiophile.com/post/my-reference-music-tracks-2025-expanded-list

Ranking Tier List: 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IIgmQlIVSkqhfxCS7n8mQ-N3aYTL6WbOKe6Fy0tBrN8/edit?usp=sharing

Tidal: https://tidal.com/playlist/0a5604d1-f09e-47f3-9f77-f07efe926221

Recommended Gear:

Audeze LCD-5: https://www.audeze.com/products/lcd-5

Audio-Technica R50x: https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/ath-r50x

Audio- Technica R70x: https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/headphones/line-series/r-series-headphones?msclkid=32885100f5341b32a2693804ea42feeb

Austrian Audio Hi-X60: https://austrian.audio/headphones/hi-x60/

Audeze LCD 2 Closed: LCD-2 Closed Back (audeze.com)

Westone Mach 60: https://westoneaudio.com/product/mach-60/

Mytek Liberty DAC ii: https://mytek.audio/shop/lbrt-dac-ii-287#attr=Mytek Liberty THX HPA: https://mytek.audio/shop/liberty-thx-285#attr=

DROP SMSL HO150x:https://drop.com/buy/drop-smsl-ho150x

DROP THX AAA One Linear: https://drop.com/buy/drop-thx-aaa-one-linear-amplifier?utm_source=linkshare&referer=FTSS2S

If you like the content of this channel and want to see more like this in the future, please consider donating. All funds donated to the channel will be used to purchase headphones and audio gear for  the channel.

Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/dbsylvia

Venmo: @David-Sylvia-6 YouTube membership: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgMj7xJ1SDxGqqxZ5l3g_jg/join

If you would like to contact the channel please send an email to: dbstechtalk@gmail.com

Affiliate links:

Drop: https://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=4pEFW3GzSkg&offerid=1325730.4&type=3&subid=0

Apos Audio: https://apos.audio?sca_ref=45218.8XN5h6dArS

ADV-Sound: https://adv-sound.com/?mct=8ENJK5lB promo code: DavidS10

HifiGo: https://hifigo.com/?rfsn=5772588.cbfbb66

Linsoul: https://www.linsoul.com?sca_ref=910677.dpweP21PzL

BASN: https://www.basnaudio.com/?ref=dnkigaut