Resource
Head-Fi
Head-Fi is a headphone and personal-audio community founded by Jude Mansilla in 2001. It also produces the CanJam headphone-show series, linking online discussion with product demonstrations, educational seminars and meetings among listeners and exhibiting audio companies.
About this resource
Head-Fi is a community for headphone and personal/portable-audio enthusiasts. In a 2017 interview with hi-fi+, founder Jude Mansilla dates its launch to 2001, when members of the earlier HeadWize forum were seeking alternatives during service instability. Mansilla framed headphone listening as a way to enjoy high-fidelity music beyond a stationary loudspeaker listening position. [1] [2]
Mansilla described the forum in that interview as a place to compare equipment, research alternatives to bundled earbuds and meet other enthusiasts. He connected local Head-Fi meets and CanJam with the online community. He also discussed a website transition and plans to share measurements from a lab built with Audio Precision and G.R.A.S.; these were announcements made in 2017, not a description of current forum facilities. [1]
CanJam’s current first-party website identifies Head-Fi as its producer. The show series has events in North America, Europe and Asia, including New York, London and Singapore. It offers headphone and personal/portable-audio demonstrations and educational seminars. Exhibiting brands meet attendees, industry peers and audio or technology press. This event activity is distinct from the historical account of forum discussions and local meets. [2]
Profile sources
Sources checked .
Verification sources
Related resources
Headfonics
publication
Personal-audio publication established in 2011, focused on subjective reviews of headphones, IEMs, amplifiers and digital sources. Its stated method combines listening, real-world use and competing-product comparisons, with coverage ranging from entry-level equipment to high-end portable and desktop systems.
Sources
AudioCircle
forum
AudioCircle connects audio enthusiasts with manufacturer-associated discussion forums, including entry points linked by GR-Research and Audio by Van Alstine. Manufacturer-published excerpts from its community document home-system listening reports and equipment comparisons, rather than independently verified performance measurements.
Audiokarma
forum
Audiokarma is a home-audio discussion forum with dedicated areas for solid-state equipment, tube audio, turntables, speakers and listening rooms. Its member systems, music discussions and restoration-related threads make it a community resource rather than an editorial review publication or repair provider.
Sources
Audiophile Style
forum
Audiophile Style combines an audio-discussion forum with article and blog content, with a particularly detailed focus on digital playback. Its boards separate software, DACs, music servers, networking, storage and DSP, alongside music, analogue equipment and immersive audio.
Sources
Hydrogenaudio
forum
Technical-audio community combining discussion forums with a separate knowledgebase, as documented in August–September 2026 archive snapshots. Its topic lists connect codecs, CD ripping, software and listening tests, making it a troubleshooting and technical-discussion resource rather than a conventional hi-fi review magazine.
Steve Hoffman Music Forums
forum
Music-and-audio discussion community documented here through March–August 2026 archive snapshots. Music Corner covers recordings and mastering, while Audio Hardware spans vintage equipment, newer systems and software; archived rules prohibit debates about objectivist or subjectivist principles and double-blind testing.