Eleanor Shaw
Headphones & Personal Audio Editor
Based in Adelaide, SA
I'm Eleanor — most people call me Nell. I came to this from the studio side, so I spend more time with headphones on my head than speakers in a room, and I've learned to hear the difference between detail and brightness pretending to be detail. I'm obsessive about fit and comfort, because the best-sounding headphone in the world is useless if it's clamping your skull after twenty minutes. I review everything from $200 daily-drivers to silly flagship planars.
21 published articles · most recent August 19, 2026
I'm Eleanor — most people call me Nell. I came to this from the studio side, so I spend more time with headphones on my head than speakers in a room.
I've learned to hear the difference between detail and brightness pretending to be detail — and I'm obsessive about fit and comfort, because the best-sounding headphone in the world is useless if it's clamping your skull after twenty minutes.
I review everything from $200 daily-drivers to silly flagship planars.
Articles by Eleanor Shaw
IEM ear tips: the free upgrade that beats most cable swapsEar tips shape IEM sound more than most upgrades costing real money. Here's how seal, bore size and tip material actually change what you hear.
Standmounts near-field, floorstanders far: matching speaker format to listening distanceListening distance changes which speaker format actually works. Here's how near-field, mid-room and far-room seating should shape your standmount vs floorstander decision.
Multiroom for headphone listeners: building a private zone that doesn't sound like an afterthoughtMost multiroom systems are designed around speakers in rooms. Here's how to build a headphone zone into that same ecosystem without gutting the sound.- Multiroom for headphone listeners: getting a private zone rightMultiroom systems are built around speakers in rooms. Here's how to get a proper headphone zone out of the same network, without losing resolution.
- Bit-perfect and PCM vs DSD: which digital format claims actually matterDSD, MQA, bit-perfect, hi-res PCM — Nell Shaw sorts which digital audio format claims genuinely change what you hear and which are marketing noise.
- Clamping force and headband sag: the comfort variables nobody measuresFrequency response gets all the graphs, but clamping force and headband sag decide whether you'll actually wear a headphone past the twenty-minute mark.
- Streaming to headphones: how your service and DAC settings actually shape the soundWhat actually changes when you stream to headphones: service quality settings, exclusive mode, and the DAC steps that matter more than the app you use.
One subwoofer or two: why a second sub fixes what EQ never willA second subwoofer often solves bass problems that EQ can't touch. Here's why multiple subs smooth response across a room, not just at one seat.
Why your DAC's output impedance matters more for headphones than its DAC chipThe chip inside your DAC gets all the marketing. The output stage that actually drives your headphones gets almost none. Here's what to check.
Building a headphone system in order: what to buy first, second, thirdA sequencing guide for headphone systems: what actually improves sound at each stage, and why buying in the wrong order wastes money.- Pairing headphones with amplifiers: power, impedance and topology explainedChoosing a headphone amp isn't just about budget. Nell Shaw explains how power, output impedance and circuit topology interact with your specific headphones.
USB audio drivers and async transfer: what your DAC is actually doing with your computerUSB audio is more complex than a simple cable swap. Nell Shaw breaks down drivers, transfer modes and what actually matters for headphone listeners connecting a DAC to a computer.- Headphone EQ: how to use it properly without wrecking your soundHeadphone EQ is one of the most powerful tools available to personal audio listeners — but most people either ignore it or overdo it. Nell Shaw explains how to do it right.
- Toe-in, tilt and height: dialling in standmount speaker angles for real roomsToe-in, tilt and tweeter height change what standmounts actually sound like — more than most cables or DAC upgrades ever will. Here's how to get them right.
- MQA, hi-res and lossy: what headphone listeners actually need to knowHi-res, MQA, lossless, lossy — the format wars are loud and mostly confusing. Here's what actually changes what you hear through headphones.
- USB vs optical vs coaxial: which digital connection actually matters for DAC performance?Nell Shaw cuts through the confusion around digital interconnects — USB, optical, coaxial and AES/EBU — and explains which genuinely affects what you hear.
- Sealed vs ported subwoofers: which design actually suits your room?Sealed and ported subwoofers behave very differently in a real room. Here's how to choose the right design before you spend a cent.
Audeze's LCD-5s brings SLAM bass technology to its $4,500 flagship planarAudeze's LCD-5s arrives with SLAM acoustic bass technology — a passive, non-DSP system promising deeper, tighter low frequencies on its $4,500 open-back flagship planar.
Meze Audio's ASTRU: An $899 Titanium Single-Dynamic-Driver Flagship IEM That Bucks the TrendMeze Audio's ASTRU arrives at $899 as a titanium-bodied, single-driver flagship IEM. Is its 10mm composite dynamic the antidote to multi-driver complexity?
Astell&Kern AK HC5 review: a flagship AK4499EX DAC chip in a $450 dongleAstell&Kern's AK HC5 dongle brings the flagship AK4499EX DAC chip and an OLED display to your pocket for $450. Is it the serious listener's ultimate USB-C companion?
Active Room Treatment goes mainstream: Dirac Live ART explainedDirac Live ART uses MIMO technology to let speakers work as a coordinated acoustic network, reducing low-frequency decay — and it's now in a $3,500 miniDSP unit. Here's what it means for AU buyers.