Yes, Crinacle quitting IEM reviews is sad; but it can also be a good thing.
The IEM world got a big shock when Crinacle, one of its most influential figures, announced a major career change.
For eight long years, Crin has been the go-to guru for thousands of people for in-depth reviews and testing methods.
And that’s not surprising, considering how huge his empire of audio knowledge is. For one, it has the world’s biggest public database of earphone measurements across two industry standards. Two, it also has the most used IEM ranking list, with over 1,000 different models.
But now, he is hanging up his reviewer hat and diving headfirst into the world of retail with the launch of his global IEM store, Hangout Audio.
Reasons Behind the Transition
Crinacle’s decision to bid farewell to reviewing IEMs wasn’t made on a whim.
In a video posted on July 17, 2024, he talked about how reviewing had lost its excitement in recent months, feeling more like a chore than the passion it used to be.
“Reviewing has brought me great joy for many years, but recently it has felt more and more like thankless volunteer work.” he shares in a comment.
“Rather than crash and burn, I’d prefer to quit while I still have passion for the hobby.” he shares in a comment.
Instead of reviewing, Crinacle says he’ll shift his focus to his own IEMs retail store: the Hangout Audio.
The New Venture
As expected from Crinacle, Hangout Audio isn’t your run-of-the-mill audio store.
To make it different, Crinacle is using his expertise to offer a curated selection of IEMs. Each pair of IEMs he sells are those that have earned at least a one-star value rating on his well-known ranking list.
In short, he won’t be flooding the market with every product from all brands. The store will only showcase what Crinacle considers the ‘cream of the crop’.
“Every single product that would be sold on hangout.audio would have achieved at least a one-star value rating on my IEM ranking list. What this means is that we’re not going to sell everything from certain brands.” he says.
“In fact, we’re just going to pick and choose and just give you the best of the best, if you will.”
Hangout Audio isn’t exactly new. The store has been serving the local Singapore market since August 2023. The only new thing now is that it’s going global.
But what really makes Hangout Audio special is how it treats customers. To make sure customers get good service, the team is made up of fellow audio enthusiasts who understand the ins and outs of buying IEMs online.
So, while they’re new to shipping worldwide, Crinacle promises they’re committed to learning and getting better at their service.
Along with the store, Crinacle is also starting a new YouTube channel under the Hangout Audio banner.
This platform will feature product showcases, along with his insights about the store’s offerings without the constraints of formal reviews.
“That is where I’ll be posting my thoughts, impressions, and opinions on the products that we actually carry. These are not reviews in the strictest sense, but rather more like product showcases, if you will. That’s it. ” explains Crin.
“If you are truly starved for my thoughts and opinions on certain products, then well, give Hangout Audio a subscription, and I hope to see you there.”
Changes to Crinacle’s Content and Rankings
Sadly, this change means the end of an era for Crinacle’s content. His website, (crinacle.com) will no longer be updated, and his famous ranking lists will remain frozen in their current state.
But don’t think Crin is disappearing from our screens entirely. His main YouTube channel will still live on.
Yet, instead of IEM reviews, he’ll focus on a different type of content.
Reaction From the Community
As you’d expect, the announcement has stirred up a whirlwind of emotions inthe audio community.
Some are sad about losing Crinacle’s reviews and regular ranking updates, seeing it as a big loss for the IEM world.
Naturally, concerns have been raised about how the new IEMs will be evaluated without formal reviews.
Some community members have suggested that Crinacle could give short impressions or mini-reviews on product pages to explain why they’re in the store. Some people have also asked Crinacle to keep updating his ranking list, showing how much value this resource has.
But, at the time of writing, Crinacle has yet to respond to these queries.
Of course, there are still a lot of support for Crinacle’s latest move, though. People are generally grateful for how Crinacle has helped them so far and excited about what it means in the bigger picture.
Why This Could Actually Be a Good Thing
Despite the mixed reactions, there are several reasons to feel good about this change.
By focusing on choosing products and selling them, Crinacle can guide listeners to good products without the possible bias that comes with being a reviewer who also works with brands. This move lets him have a more direct impact on shaping the industry and making it more accessible.
Crinacle’s past collaborations with brands like KZ, Fiio, SeeAudio, and Moondrop have also shown he can influence product development. So, the new business lets him use this experience more directly.
Plus, stopping reviews avoids possible conflicts of interest that can happen when reviewing products while also being involved in making them.
The curated nature of Hangout Audio could also be a godsend for consumers overwhelmed by all the choices in the IEM market. Since it offers a selection of products that meet Crinacle’s high standards, customers can buy with more confidence.
This change also makes room for new voices in the reviewing world. The audio community grows with different views, and Crinacle’s move away from reviewing might inspire others to step up and fill the gap.
But perhaps most exciting of all is that Crinacle has hinted that this is just the start of a bigger plan to change the industry.
His transition from reviewer to retailer marks the first step in what could be a big reshaping of the audio world.
“This is just step one of the grand plan. If you have watched my ‘How Hard It Is to Make Your Own Earphones,’ you would see that I’m trying to do a lot more within the industry.” he explains.
“Step one honestly was just to try and start my own retail front, my own distribution front, which would kind of segue into, let’s just say, future plans.”