overkill.wtf

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I just posted a completely new version of my /uses page, which lists all the stuff I currently use, be it my different Gaming PCs, my laptop, my handhelds, my cameras, my EDC, and more.

overkill.wtf

Everything I Use

Everything I use for computers, writing, gaming, audio, photography, self-hosting, health, and everyday carry.

I rewrote the whole thing (mostly), so go and check it out!

Saturday 1st of August 2026 06:30 PM
I write about what I find interesting.
If that sounds like something you’re into, get the posts by email.

The very first journal entry I can find is from February 2016. Back then and for the next 9 years or so, I used Day One. In between, I tried some other systems, be it keeping plain text files on whatever computer I owned at the time or writing in paper journals with dedicated prompts. I kept returning to Day One, but always romanticized the paper journals kept by famous authors.

Today I filled my first blank notebook (with yesterday's entry). It spans from June 2025 to July 2026. I didn't write every day, especially these last few weeks, but it's extremely satisfying that it ends on the last day of July. My inner monk loves this.

My notebook of choice is a Leuchtturm1917 Paperback softcover with a dot grid. I tried different notebooks over the years for all kinds of stuff, but kept returning to these. (I also own a collection of Field Notes. Field Notes and Leuchtturm1917 Paperback notebooks are, in my opinion, the perfect combo.)

I know I'll get this question sooner or later: for the first couple of months, I used a black uni-ball Signo DX with a 0.28 mm tip before buying a fancy Sailor 1911 fountain pen with a separate extra-fine nib. I write extremely tiny (I can easily fit three days on a single page and still write a lot), and European fountain pen nibs, even extra-fine ones, do not work with my handwriting. I can only go Japanese.

My ink of choice is Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-kai blue. But I started with some random black ink I got at the shop for free. I bought the pen in Paris and didn't have my ink bottle with me. So technically, there are three different inks in this notebook.

I don't do anything fancy: no prompts, no gratitude journaling, or anything else. I just sit down, write the date in red (Staedtler Pigment liner 0.3) in the year-month-day format and then just write. Write whatever comes into my head. I usually start with a recap of the previous day (I mostly write in the mornings), and from there, I naturally start writing down thoughts or whatever else has been occupying my mind.

Sometimes I write five lines (I can fit 50 words in five lines); sometimes I write two full pages. In 123 pages, I have two lists. Also, two quotes. (One is by BoJack Horseman, and I've never even watched that show.) The rest is prose.

I can't wait to have 10 of these notebooks in a wooden box and look back through them 10 years from now to write my best-selling memoirs.

Saturday 1st of August 2026 11:00 AM

My wallet lost, my ears won

I ended up not buying Austrian Audio's The Composer headphones after all. 2500€ is just too much cash all at once, and I can't currently justify the purchase.

But that doesn't mean I didn't buy anything.

In fact, I did end up splurging, but instead of paying 2500€ for one product, I spent half of that and got three (technically four) products. This website is called overkill, after all (I love writing that!).

I bought:

  • The HEDDphone D1 over-ear headphones (and a Capra strap)
  • The CrinEar Reference IEM
  • The Topping DX5 II DAC/AMP

The HEDDphone D1

I bought the HEDDphone D1, a headphone I could not actually test at the shop.

That sounds incredibly stupid after spending several hours auditioning headphones, but there was some logic behind it.

The D1 kept appearing in reviews as something close to the general sound I liked most: lively, dynamic, spacious enough, and with clear mids that shouldn't have the slightly muffled quality I noticed elsewhere.

More importantly, the review that finally pushed me over the edge compared it directly with The Composer. The Composer still came out ahead, but the D1 seemed to belong in roughly the same acoustic neighbourhood for roughly a quarter of the price.

And if I dislike the D1, I can easily send it back.

But having listened to it for the past couple of days, I doubt I will. It doesn't sound as "full," for lack of a better word, as The Composer, but it's close for a fraction of the price.

I understand why a lot of people see the D1 as an upgrade to the legendary Sennheiser HD 600s.

Also, I bought a Capra strap as I saw people recommend it to improve the fit. I didn't have a big issue with the fit at first, but I do agree that the Capra strap is an improvement.

CrinEar Reference

My first foray into this whole hi-fi hobby was with the Moondrop Aria 2 IEMs. But in the world of audiophiles, these are considered entry-level gear, and at this point, we can't have that.

So I bought the CrinEar Reference IEMs.

Sound-wise, I originally did not think I needed an upgrade from the Aria 2. The Arias are what I use when I am commuting or when I am at home and need the natural noise isolation that comes with in-ear monitors.

But I had a QC issue: one earbud failed after getting damp. Just taking a shower and wearing them too soon afterward was enough to kill one. Thankfully, HiFiGo easily replaced the defective monitor, but still.

Also, I went for the Reference simply because I wanted to understand what this "meta" thing was all about. And apparently, I like this meta thing. Does that make me average?

Topping DX5 II

On the go, I still use the FiiO M21, which I love. I do also own a FiiO Snowsky Echo Mini, which is cute as hell, but I am not a big fan of the software when the alternative is an Android-based player. Different needs, I guess.

Until now, my only option at home was a Vocaster One, the USB audio interface I use with my microphone. I needed a DAC and amp.

For a while, the Schiit Magni + Modi stack was high on my list, but then I watched this YouTube video, read a bunch of reviews, and ended up with the DX5 II. Also, as an European getting this quickly was a tad easier. I'm still eyeying the Schiit stack, though.

I like it, but I have barely begun testing all its capabilities. It has built-in parametric EQ, but I want to listen to the headphones "raw" first to figure out what I want to improve.

But hey, it just works on Linux. There is some special software for updates and things like parametric EQ. But I can just run it on the Windows partition of my gaming PC because all the changes are saved to the hardware itself.

I still have The Composer from Austrian Audio very high on my wish list, but I am fully satisfied with what I got. For now!

I will probably write more about the hardware in the future.

Thursday 30th of July 2026 03:25 PM

Nearly eight months in, I still absolutely love the FiiO M21.

I carry it with me on a near-daily basis, and except when I'm sitting at my desk at home or in my car, it's the only way I listen to music nowadays. Whether I'm commuting, sitting on the couch at home, or in the office, I use the FiiO with my current IEMs of choice (more about them in a future update).

A few things have changed since I originally wrote that review:

  • I originally wrote that Android 13 bothered me on paper, but I haven't thought about it once since then. I'm only mentioning it because I reread my review and remembered that it had bothered me.
  • I haven't really used the M21's DAC feature, but on a recent flight, when I forgot my AirPods, I connected my Pixel to the FiiO via Bluetooth and listened to an audiobook through the IEMs connected to the FiiO, using it as a sort of receiver. I was surprised by how smooth the experience was.
  • Battery life still isn't as good as I'd like, but I only have to charge it every third day. I don't use it any less. Quite the opposite. So I wonder whether, in the early days, some background processes were aggressively draining the battery.
  • I killed Apple Music and Spotify and stopped using Plexamp. My music still lives on Plex, but I now use Symfonium instead. Symfonium is fantastic. Truly! It's probably the best Android app ever and the best music app on any platform. If you're really into music (and own your own files), this is a reason to switch to Android. I still have a Qobuz sub, though, because:
  • These days, I mostly listen to albums. I do have a few playlists I've created, but they consist entirely of music I own. I use Qobuz to listen to an album for the first time, and if I like it, I acquire it and add it to my Plex server. This combo is great.
  • For recommendations, I now mostly do two things: check the recommendations generated by my scrobbles on Last.fm and ListenBrainz, and read newsletters and music-related websites. I've also started asking people which artists they like. Turns out, people love talking about things they like (hence this website).

I originally got this M21 because I wanted to develop a healthier relationship with music and get away from Spotify. I can happily say that I achieved both, and I don't think I've ever had a better relationship with music than I do now.

I still wouldn't call myself an audiophile, but I've started caring about so many things that enhance my music-listening experience. That includes the quality of the music, the quality of the mix, how my headphones and IEMs sound, and so much more.

fiio.com

Guangzhou Feiao Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.-M21

M21 to the flagship gene remodeling entry standard, internal and external design is full of "core" meaning and sincerity. Hand small screen and leapfrog performance comprehensive advanced, committed to creating a new generation of strength model.

And it's all because of this little thing. So, nearly eight months in, I'd still give the FiiO M21 a full five stars! (I'm a bit intrigued by the M33, though. I would love to understand what this R2R is all about.)

Wednesday 29th of July 2026 03:40 PM

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

If this were a one-off, I'd be a little disappointed, but knowing there are around a hundred more books in the series has me excited.

Fun read. I hope the series stays as lighthearted as this first book and doesn't turn into some super serious sci-fi saga.

  • Book title All Systems Red
  • Author Martha Wells
  • Rating 4/5
Cover of the book All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Monday 27th of July 2026 12:00 AM

The Odyssey

There's this meme about asking men how often they think about the Roman Empire. Despite being half Italian, my answer would be "not that often." Greek mythology,1 however? Far more than I'd like to admit.

All that to say: yesterday we watched Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey.

The tl;dr version: it's great. 9/10. Also, wow, that soundtrack... I'm listening to it while typing this.

The longer version: over the years, I've read several versions of The Iliad and The Odyssey. Different translations, adaptations, and retellings from the perspective of individual characters.2

Nolan's film isn't completely faithful to the original. Then again, a fully faithful adaptation would probably run for ten hours, and at nearly three hours, this one is already long enough. Even so, I enjoyed it immensely.

Homer's Odyssey is, to me, largely about homecoming, with hubris hanging over nearly every major decision. Nolan's version is about what war does to the people who survive it. It's a different take, but maybe one that fits our current times better.

Also, cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema is a fucking genius. I didn't see the film in IMAX, but the combination of the visuals and sound design gave me goosebumps more than once. The rumbling of the speakers during certain scenes was so damn loud, but it fit the movie so well that I don't think this was my cinema fucking up the sound levels. It felt entirely intentional.

Also, that soundtrack? Absolutely fantastic. The second half of Laestrygonians hits different.

I'm already planning to watch it again, this time in a bigger cinema. It's not my favorite Nolan film, that title still belongs to Interstellar, but I wouldn't be surprised if The Odyssey ends up among my favorite movies of all time.3

If you're planning to email me because you hate that Helen of Troy is played by Lupita Nyong'o, save yourself the effort. I'll block you, and if we ever meet, you're getting punched in the face.

  1. The same goes for Norse mythology, by the way. ↩

  2. The books are: Circe, Mythos, Heroes, Emily Wilson's The Odyssey, Song of Achilles, and I have like five more on my TBR list.  ↩

  3. One of the trailers before the movie was for Dune: Part Three, and holy shit, I'm hyped. ↩

Thursday 23rd of July 2026 10:45 AM

Microsoft is bringing original Xbox games to PC theverge.com

Microsoft is expanding its Xbox backward compatibility efforts today by bringing original Xbox games to PC. An early preview release will see four classic Xbox games available on PC today, as part of a bigger effort to bring more Xbox console games to PC in the future.

An Xbox emulator for PC by... Xbox. Didn't see that one coming. Of course, you either need to buy the games or sign up for Game Pass. Oh, and you need Windows 11. Still, with the mess PlayStation is doing, this is at least some positive preservation-related news.

Next, I'm hoping we get one for 360, too, so I can play Fable 2 and Fable 3 again.

Thursday 23rd of July 2026 10:20 AM

I cannot stop thinking about these damn headphones.

Monday 20th of July 2026 11:10 AM