A heartfelt goodbye to DMS

This is DMS's last video on The Headphone Show, as he is moving on to his next big adventure within the audio sphere, and we're here to wish him the best going forward. In this video, we reflect on our favorite moments with Douglas Middlename Stephens and wish him a heartfelt goodbye.

This is DMS's last video on The Headphone Show, as he is moving on to bigger things. However, we and DMS will continue to work together on audio metrology projects to benefit the community. In this video, the gand reflects on their favorite moments with Douglas Middlename Stephens and wish him a warm farewell. Despite the bittersweet reality of not working with one of audio's best boys, we are very excited for future collaborations we intend to make happen, and for the continued growth of the audio community. Long live Donglas.

Full Video Transcript Below:

Andrew Park

00:00:00

Alright, so I am here with DMS and it is with great sadness that I have to announce that this is the last video of DMS on The Headphone Show.It's bittersweet.DMS is onto bigger and more grandiose things. We'll see if they're better.

Douglas Stephens

00:00:23

The winds of change are happening, which I want to preface by immediately saying we're still going to be working together on audio metrology things.We're still going to do everything we can to try and keep the data science flowing for the betterment of the community.We're going to try and stay on the same standards.

Andrew Park

00:00:38

You know all that stuff, yeah, we'll be working together in the future, you will, I'm sure you will see DMS doing all the things in the future, uh, but his is the tenure with the Headphone Show, uh, is is now complete, it is, it leaves like a little hole in my heart, yeah, because I've been to very goofy places with some goofy people, yeah, we've we've done some goofy things and with that in mind, I thought I would take the opportunity to ask you a couple of questions about your time with us.Oh, let's do it.Yeah.You've made a ton of videos for us, with us.Oh, yeah.Do you have a favorite?Is there one that stands out?

Douglas Stephens

00:01:17

Oh, man.There were a lot that were really fun.Near the end, I really enjoyed the videos we were doing, kind of like the headphone challenges.Like building a system in a certain budget, that was really fun.The most memorable thing, though, I think in general, Oh, yeah.This is when DNS pulls out his camera.

Andrew Park

00:01:58

That's a little bit of a dead end right there, huh?It's just Google Maps, man.Sure it is.Andrew started giving us directions literally two minutes ago.

Douglas Stephens

00:02:08

It was super fun.Went down the Autobahn.We had Afghan food with Z, Z Reviews.That was incredible.In Munich.

Andrew Park

00:02:16

I don't think I was there for that one.

Douglas Stephens

00:02:18

Oh, did you miss that one?

Andrew Park

00:02:20

No, no.The Autobahn one I was there for, obviously.But I think there were two separate trips.

Douglas Stephens

00:02:24

You're right.Of you and Dr. Sean Holiff, and they said in the comments, they said, 'I'm telling my kids this is Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson.'And there's video footage somewhere of Cameron and me laughing so hard that I'm lying on the floor wheezing in the Airbnb, and you're just like, 'What's wrong with these guys?'

Cameron Oatley

00:03:15

I-I don't know what they're laughing about.

Douglas Stephens

00:03:30

Thank you.

Douglas Stephens

00:03:36

Oh God, I'm gonna have to throw up.

Douglas Stephens

00:03:41

That was awful.It was really fun.

Andrew Park

00:03:43

That's a kilo moment for me, but a hilarious one.That was good.

Douglas Stephens

00:03:47

And then the Airbnb of doom on our last trip to New York City.That was good.Andrew just nearly died.

Cameron Oatley

00:03:55

It's a nice hotel.Yeah.

Cameron Oatley

00:04:00

Jesus Christ, that's like-Ah, okay.That's as far as she goes boys.

Cameron Oatley

00:04:11

What in the hell?

Cameron Oatley

00:04:21

Vibe dispenser.None.None.No vibes.The vibes were sadness.Yeah.

Douglas Stephens

00:04:26

Yeah, yeah.All the different things in SoCal, those were great.Yeah.Yeah, it's just been wild amounts of fun.My face is hurt from laughing so many times.

Andrew Park

00:04:36

You've obviously gotten to review, gotten to, you've had products inflicted upon you, many good, many bad.Yes.Are there any that stand out that have been particularly memorable for being good or bad?

Douglas Stephens

00:04:48

I still love the E3, the Burning Passion.

Andrew Park

00:04:50

That's one of the good ones that you have?

Douglas Stephens

00:04:52

Yeah, oh yeah, still love that.

Andrew Park

00:04:53

What about one of your least favorite?

Douglas Stephens

00:04:55

One of my least favorite?I don't, this wasn't a headphone show video, but it was in that amount of time where I did the Distant Mountain.

Andrew Park

00:05:00

Oh gosh.

Douglas Stephens

00:05:01

Yeah.Shit.That was a whole thing.I think I enjoyed doing most of the content that we did, though.

Douglas Stephens

00:05:36

Yeah.

Douglas Stephens

00:05:36

Like, there was never a time where I was actually dreading filming a video.

Douglas Stephens

00:05:39

Yeah.

Douglas Stephens

00:05:40

There were times where I didn't want to test certain products because it was like, ah, I already hate this thing.

Douglas Stephens

00:05:44

Yeah.

Douglas Stephens

00:05:45

But pretty much all the videos I enjoyed making.Right.They were always fun.

Andrew Park

00:05:49

We've done a ton of trade shows together.Yes.Do you have a favorite one or, like, a particular one that stands out in your mind?

Douglas Stephens

00:06:31

Right, yeah.That was probably my favorite trade show we've ever done.Just because it was so many non-audio people that were getting to experience it for the first time, and they were kind of mind-blown.

Andrew Park

00:06:40

Yeah, we brought the Sennheiser HE1, the big $50,000, $60,000 system.Really budget-oriented headphone.And man, that lineup was crazy.It was just endless.So LTX was your favorite of the trade shows?

Douglas Stephens

00:06:52

Yeah, LTX was really incredible.

Andrew Park

00:06:54

And all the crazy stuff that people were making there was really cool too.

Douglas Stephens

00:06:57

I had a backpack with a 3D printer in it that was printing while he was walking around.Well, now I'm working at

Andrew Park

00:07:25

And I'm sure everybody will find that fascinating.So make sure you guys, you know, keep an eye out for all of that stuff.

Douglas Stephens

00:07:34

It'll be really interesting.

Andrew Park

00:07:35

Yeah.

Douglas Stephens

00:07:36

I think we have like maybe probably about a month when all that will become public.

Andrew Park

00:07:40

I'm surprised that the government lets you do that.It's kind of remarkable.

Douglas Stephens

00:07:43

It's a gray area.

Andrew Park

00:07:44

Yeah.

Douglas Stephens

00:07:44

Yeah.But, you know, honestly, the market for organ sales is really taking a turn.Yeah.

Andrew Park

00:07:50

Why they would want yours, I have no idea.Yeah, me either.They're completely just gangrene.

Douglas Stephens

00:08:27

Oh my gosh.Hi guys.This is such a pleasant surprise.How are you doing?I'm doing great.This is great.He just told me that we're like going over some moments and I'm like, oh my gosh, that's fantastic.

Griffin Silver

00:08:37

We're going to be going over some moments.

Andrew Park

00:08:39

So Cameron, why don't we start with you?What's been your favorite Douglas moment?

Cameron Oatley

00:08:44

I think mine personally has got to be when I went and stayed with him for a week in Tennessee and he showed me all of the most American things.Brisket, guns.We shot the Harmon target as target practice.

Douglas Stephens

00:09:14

He's instantly an American citizen. Yeah.

Cameron Oatley

00:09:17

I'm still waiting for my citizenship card.But that was a great week.I had a lot of fun.An honorable moment mention would just have to be, I think, last year's Munich high-end trip.Uh, what was the year before I can't even remember now when you guys both came we went all around Europe uh and to the UK and on one of those nights in particular Doug and I were in the same hotel room and we didn't sleep very well because we were just laughing hysterically the whole time I-I distinctly remember that I yeah I I remember being extremely exhausted not just because the jet lag but because, yeah, I-I laughed so hard the next day my face hurt and my lungs hurt.

Douglas Stephens

00:09:58

That's a good sign.

Andrew Park

00:09:59

And Griffin, what are your favorite Douglas moments?

Griffin Silver

00:10:03

Yeah.So, I mean, definitely hard to triangulate just one.I was thinking about kind of the breadth of our online relationship and how when it comes to, you know, being friends with people online in the audio Discord space, a lot of it's kind of like informal, not all that deep, mostly topic-oriented around audio.A little bit of chaos.Yeah, a lot of chaos.A Shadow the Hedgehog level backstory that could have turned him into, you know, just another edgelord or just another, you know, cynical person, you know, in a kingdom of millions.But he's just like the greatest guy.Like he's.You guys don't really see it because you're not behind the scenes for a lot of this, but he's incredibly generous with his time.He's incredibly generous with.His help.He, you know, most of the people who we've brought into the kind of headphones.com extended universe over the past little while, a lot of that's been because they're friends of Doug's.So he really looks out for the people in his life and makes sure they're taken care of.And yeah, he's just really, just really good guy.Griffin, my boy.And it was really nice to get to know him.

Douglas Stephens

00:11:41

You're going to make me get all emotional here, man.Oh, that was good!I already am getting emotional, man.

Cameron Oatley

00:11:47

Get yourself a friend like Douglas.

Douglas Stephens

00:11:54

Now, I hope it is all clear.This is not the end of our adventures.We're all still going to be doing things.No, of course not.You'll be able to look deep inside of us again at some point.But now I think that the things that we'll be able to work on together will all be, I think, even bigger benefits to the scientific audio community.Hopefully.

Griffin Silver

00:12:15

Let's not give too much away, but yeah, I agree.That's how it's looking.

Andrew Park

00:12:20

I still had some.I had to give you my favorite moment of Douglas.Oh yeah, you have a favorite?Well, I have, I have a number of favorite Douglas moments.Um and they usually involve suffering.And it's often because of the suffering that they're my favorite moments, like you know, the time we took took a trip out to Kef where we it was like winter and bad conditions.And then we had to pack five large humans and all of our gear into the tiniest little car that you had.

Douglas Stephens

00:12:47

I had the smallest.Yeah, we were there pretty late.We were very late, yeah, yeah.We were the only ones going back in my little car, and we stopped and got Thai food and were served by a waiter that was probably like nine years old.Yeah, I was a child.

Andrew Park

00:13:09

Yeah.We're like, this probably isn't legal, but the food's good.Yeah.My favorite moments, most memorable moments, usually involve suffering of some kind.But the one that sticks out is one that you probably remember better than I do.Ooh.There was a moment at Turntable Chicken Jazz at Can Jam New York.Oh, this guy.

Douglas Stephens

00:13:27

I swear to God, pulls the meat off the wing, drops it into my cup of water, and then just looks me dead in the eye.I was like, what the fuck, man?And then he just starts rolling, laughing.I have a photo, I'll send, I'll make sure that Jake gets the photo, but I have a group photo from that dinner.Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.It's one of the best group photos that I've ever taken in this hobby.

Andrew Park

00:14:18

And so that, so it's not really like any particular moment in general, but those moments, you know, hanging out at places like that with that entire group of people, it really is, in my opinion, you know, that photo encapsulates the best of audio right there.Yeah, that was a really good time.Yeah, and shout out to everybody else who was there, and hopefully we get to do that kind of stuff again.The headphone show community, um, maybe the Discord as well; oh, I love you guys!

Douglas Stephens

00:15:17

Take it easy.Keep listening to music.Don't take it too seriously.You know, have fun.But if you're here or you're watching this channel, you're on the right track.

Andrew Park

00:15:28

And with that, that's going to be our adiós.

Douglas Stephens

00:15:32

Buh-bye!Hi guys, this is a goofy ending. Bye.

Expand
Collapse

Support more content like this by shopping on Headphones.com

Banner Ad with the Headphones.com logo and text: The Best Place to Buy Headphones and Home Audio on the Whole Internet. 365 day returns, Free shipping over $100, Insanely good customer service.
Back to blog