Meet Leonardo Akihiro, a 22-year-old aspiring professional photographer from São Paulo with a deep passion for sound. Growing up, his journey into the world of headphone listening became more than just a hobby. In his own words, Leonardo shares how his love for audio led him to discover the world of audiophiles and why, after years of exploration, he’s found a true home with STAX. Enjoy his story.
Name: Leonardo Akihiro Uehara
Age : 22
Location : Sao Paulo, Brazil
"My journey as an audiophile and audio lover started about 9 years ago, when I was still in middle school, after my dad gave me a pair of Samsung on-ear headphones. That was the trigger. I really liked them, took them with me everywhere because I thought they were really cool, but as things eventually do, they broke, and I needed a new pair of headphones. And I wanted something good.
From that point on, I became kind of obsessed with headphones, always reading and watching reviews of all kinds of equipment, from the cheap in-ears to the absolute top of the line stuff. It was during those times that I discovered electrostatic earspeakers, and they became an end game dream for me. An unattainable dream, that is.
And for years I always tried new stuff, I got some headphones here and there, each one was better than the previous one, and I managed to test some fantastic headphones during my exchange program in Japan, including the SR-009S and SR-X9000, and I really thought that this was the closest I'd ever get to that dream. I didn't think I'd be able to go further than that.
But that took a turn after I watched a review of the SR-X1 on Mind The Headphone channel and realized:
1. It's a Stax, which I've always dreamed about
2. It's sold locally, so I didn't need to import it
3. And more importantly, I could actually buy it
So 1–2 months after watching that review, I managed to demo them at the local showroom, and it was LOVE AT FIRST LISTEN. Bought them pretty much instantly, and I've been happily listening to them every single day for hours for the past 3 months.
It makes me very proud of myself that I could achieve this goal, especially at such a young age. For years, owning something like a Stax was just a distant dream. But now, it's a reality, and it's part of my daily life."
Aside from being an audiophile and ardent STAX fan, Leonardo is also an aspiring pro photographer and he sent us some of his photos which we are so proud to share with all of you.
