Andrew “Choppa” Barlow

Andrew "Choppa" Barlow – Lead Reviewer, Sonic Compass

The Uncompromising Ear Behind Sonic Compass

Andrew Barlow does not do hype. He does honesty.

As the voice behind Sonic Compass reviews, Choppa cuts through marketing nonsense and listens with the only credentials that matter: his actual ears, his actual gear, and his actual taste in music. He will tell you exactly what he hears, even when it breaks sacred audio rules.

His Range is Obsessively Wide:

• From $29 Kiwi Ears to €999 Feliks Audio tube amps—no price gatekeeping.
• Specializes in In-Ear Monitors, but tackles any gear that makes sound: amplifiers, DACs, headphones, portable rigs.
• Listens across genres: rock, metal, electronic, orchestral, and dance.
• Values what matters: dynamic range, instrument separation, spatial imaging—the things that make music feel alive.

His Philosophy:

Every piece of gear is song-dependent, genre-dependent, and deeply personal. What sounds "perfect" to Choppa might not hit your ears the same way—and that is not a flaw, that is reality. His reference rig speaks to his approach: ZMF Verite Open, Burson Soloist 3XGT, Hiby R6S Pro II—professional gear that serves the music, not the ego. Everything connected with 4.4mm balanced because life is too short for compromises.

Andrew built Sonic Compass alongside Mojo because the audio community needed someone willing to be colorfully, profanely, charmingly honest about what they actually hear. Not what they should hear. Not what audiophile tradition says they should hear. What they actually hear.

Reference Rig

ZMF Verite Open, Burson Soloist 3XGT, Hiby R6S Pro II (4.4mm balanced connections)