Meet the Team

Founder & CEO, ecoustics.com. Brian single-handedly launched this website using raw HTML code and some rudimentary perl scripts back in 1999. Over 23 years later, Brian continues to run daily operations, code when needed, and manage a growing team of expert writers and podcast/video producers. When he's not writing or hosting a podcast you might catch him on a tennis court.

Editor in Chief, Ian White has covered the world of audio/video since 1998 for ecoustics.com, The New York Times, Gear Patrol, Digital Trends, JAZZIZ, Big Picture Big Sound, SoundStage, EnjoytheMusic, and The Jerusalem Post. He is a certified ISF level II calibrator, and Lead Copywriter in the world of engineering and cybersecurity for clients in Maryland, and New Jersey. Born in Toronto, Canada, Ian spent his formative years in Washington D.C., Dathomir, Chicago, and Israel before settling in the Garden State. Conceived at a Drive-In Movie, Ian has viewed more than 5,700 films in 7 countries but still denies that he waited in-line for 8 days to be the first person to view the Phantom Menace. It was only 7. He is also a collector of vintage film posters, Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals memorabilia, and a professional Sith Lord and foodie. On weekends, he can be found in synagogue, cross-checking opponents in the crease, teaching his children how to cook, and casting into the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean hoping to find his missing watch.

Robert has been covering home entertainment and home theater since 1998 for various online websites including Dishinfo.com, About.com, Lifewire, Enclave Audio, and has made appearances on the YouTube series Home Theater Geeks. He received a Technical TV Production/Studio certificate from the San Diego County Regional Occupational Program and is a graduate of San Diego State University, with a degree in Psychology. You wouldn't think a Psychology degree would relate to home electronics/entertainment, but it provided a good foundation for a successful career in studio production work, consumer electronics retail sales, and, as a reporter on home theater tech and trends.

Will Jennings has been known as Wiljen the "Audiofool" for years in audio circles. He grew up as a musician and a lover of music. He started out saving his summer job money for concert tickets, and his first 2-channel system. While others were purchasing cars for their 16th birthday, he was buying Denon turntables. Early on in his audio journey he inherited a Dynaco ST-70, and his love of tube amps began. Will has a voracious curiosity and a need to understand what makes things tick; his reviews focus on the technical side of products and how well they perform. When children, a mortgage, and other expenses came along, his focus moved to headphones where he could get great fidelity and still meet his other obligations financially. For the past 6 years, he has been reviewing headphones, amplifiers, and other headphone-related products. Will enjoys live music as much as possible with an intense love of blues-rock, blues, and classical. Will also loves time with family hiking and camping in the woods.

Chris Boylan fell in love with music at an early age and discovered the joys and obsessions of hi-fi audio shortly thereafter. At age 6, he was convinced that his sister's plastic battery-operated portable record player was the best music reproduction system on the planet. At age 6 1/2, he began experimenting with an acoustic isolation platform made entirely of Silly Putty to tweak the sound. Around this time, he also discovered drums, much to his parents' dismay. His passion for music and film naturally led him to the wonders of "home theater," which in the early 80s meant a HiFi VCR, a huge 25 inch TV, a receiver, 4 speakers, and an outboard Dolby Surround Sound decoder. His screen has gotten a bit bigger since then, as has his audio system. Chris is ISF certified, has moderated discussion panels at CES and served on the CEA Session Advisory Committee. He has written about audio, video and other technology since 1993 in the virtual pages of Enjoy The Music, Big Picture Big Sound, CleanTechnica and now eCoustics.

Positive sonic messaging is at the core of how Mitch produces all things audio. Broadcasting, creating, installing, learning, recording, and experiencing sound is all within his groove. Mitch and the All-Vinyl Black Circle Radio team have been transmitting nothing but vinyl over the airwaves since 2009. He sends his love to his wife Debra "DJ Crinkle", his two sons, and his musical/spiritual advisor Arc of All.

Lynn Miller, known as "ngoshawk" in audio circles, has been reviewing for about five years now. Growing up in the golden age of hot car stereos, he indeed had a killer one, flouting it most Friday and Saturday nights as he cruised with friends. Soon into the home audio scene as well, he lusted after a Mark Levinson system along with Luxman and Magnepan. "Settling" for others, he still enjoyed the music along the way. As family took precedence after school, he moved on to a career in Wildlife Biology, focusing on Avian Biology and the banding of songbirds and raptors. Hence his name coming from his favorite bird, which indeed did attack him in the wilds of the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming. He still has the shirt as a memento. Channeling that love into a career as a Science Teacher, he teaches students about all things wild and how to look at the world from a Scientific perspective. Also active with his kids competitive soccer endeavors over the years, he has morphed into the refereeing side of the game as they graduated, and hence receives the catcalls and hoots he once vociferously gave pretty much each and every game. A diehard Arsenal FC fan as well as Green Bay Packer and Chicago Blackhawk fan, he has been lucky enough to mix his love of Science with sports and his loving family. Some might call it heaven along with his family's love for the blues, KC BBQ and the outdoors.

Eric Pye is, in the words of his Instagram profile, “just some guy spinning records in his basement.” And what a basement! Real wood panelling, avocado shag carpet, and décor fitting of a growing vintage audio and vinyl collection. A nomad most of his life with international stints including South Africa, Japan, and the UK, he’s happy now to be laying down roots, making a home, and creating a little bit of musical heaven, shared daily at @AudioLoveYYC. Four years ago he began down the slippery slope of vintage audio, and two years later rediscovered vinyl (after a quarter century digital-only). He loves all things Jazz, and has recently become fixated with Japanese Jazz, and some day opening his own Jazz Kissa.

Ted Gioia, a leading music critic and historian, is the author of 11 books, including The History of Jazz and Delta Blues, both chosen as notable books of the year by the New York Times. Four of his books have been honored with the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award. He is also a winner of the Virgil Thomson Award for Outstanding Music Criticism. Gioia’s work has been published by The Daily Beast, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The Atlantic, Salon, The Guardian, and many other periodicals. He previously taught at Stanford University, and has also worked as a jazz pianist, record producer, and music educator. He holds degrees from Stanford and Oxford. Gioia currently lives in Austin, Texas, and publishes commentary on music, books and culture via his influential web column and newsletter The Honest Broker.

Lauren Halliday is a music enthusiast from Houston, Texas. About ten years ago, her lifelong love of music expanded to include a passion for vinyl. She began sharing her diverse record collection on Instagram as @record_lady in 2016, where she loves helping people discover “new-to-them” music. She has also contributed reviews to the online music magazine Closed Captioned. She enjoys going to see live music, trying her hand at new instruments (2021 is the year of the drums), and visiting new record stores while traveling.

Jeremy Sikora is a complete industry outsider who as been collecting, breaking, and at times even fixing vintage hifi gear for several years. Now operating under the Instagram moniker @Budget_Audiophiler he has been detailing his experience from novice on, to share what he learns along the journey. He sees equipment from the 1990’s as “new equipment” and has installed a system in every room that is his music loving wife will allow. When not sourcing, posting, writing about vintage audio, he enjoys snowboarding, windsurfing, hiking, cycling, sailing, JDM vans and any sport his family can do together. Based out of Buffalo, NY he’s a Bills fan and firmly believes ranch dressing anywhere near a chicken wing is blasphemy.

Emiko is a songwriter and award winning composer for film and television, and an avid audiophile. In addition she's VP of Marketing for the west coast's largest high-end audio show, The Home Entertainment Show (T.H.E. Show) and an advocate in the hifi and audio industries through her original programming, “Hifi Happy Hour” and her #Hifiishealthy (hifi is healthy) campaign, as well as a brand ambassador to Egglestonworks.

Jake Cheriff is an audio engineer, musician, and music producer based in Brooklyn, New York. Since graduating from NYU in 2016 with a degree in Music Technology, Jake has been active as an engineer both in the studio and on tour as FOH engineer. Jake is best known for his studio work with Paper Moon Records, and live session work with Paper Moon Sessions, Sofar Sounds NYC, and The Wild Honey Pie. In 2020, Jake began writing audio product reviews for publications like Debugger and Headphones.com and is excited to be joining the Ecoustics team!