In this interview, I sat down with Dr. Fang, the mastermind behind HIFIMAN, and we went way beyond the usual “what’s your favorite headphone?” type of talk. We discussed how his background as a hobbyist shaped the company’s direction, why he values a more linear, less aggressive tuning (he even brought up the AKG K1000 as an early reference point), and how HIFIMAN’s milestones like the HE1000 and Susvara came from obsessing over planar research and trying to make changes measurable—"quantitative," by numbers, controllable, repeatable. What I really took away from Dr. Fang is that the end goal is always ahead of you. He said his favorite model “should be in the future,” and that mindset explains why the chase for more detail, a more real soundstage, and incremental improvements gets harder over time—until you need a revolution. We also talked about life outside audio: football, staying active, and why he plays every weekend as part of managing health risks like diabetes. It’s one of those conversations that reminds you that building great audio gear is equal parts engineering discipline and personal drive.