In the 1990s, it was not easy to find good audio equipment in Russia. Stores were flooded with inexpensive mass-market electronics, and high-quality components for true sound remained an unattainable dream for most music lovers. It was at this time that the first seeds of what would later be called Russian High-End began to appear.
The history of MyST Audio is a vivid example of how a passion for music and engineering can overcome any barriers. This is not a story about a large factory, but about enthusiastic people who assembled their first amplifiers in garages and home workshops, relying not on marketing, but on their own ears and understanding of the physics of sound.
Their path was not easy: experiments with details, endless searches for “the right” sound, and a stubborn unwillingness to compromise. Thus, step by step, the philosophy of a brand was born that managed to prove that it is possible to create world-class equipment in Russia that can delight even the most discerning music lovers.
In the 1990s, there were almost no high-quality audio systems for home use in Russia—everything serious was imported and very expensive. It was then that a few enthusiasts, passionate about sound and radio technology, began assembling amplifiers and speakers in Korolev, near Moscow, based on their own calculations and drawings. This is how MyST Audio was born — not just a brand, but one of the first examples of true Russian Hi-Fi, made with soul in a garage, but with fantastic attention to detail. This story is about how curiosity and enthusiasm gave rise to a whole culture of home audio equipment, which is now respected even abroad.
No mysticism
Let me answer a question I am often asked right away — what does the word MyST mean? To be honest, it doesn't mean anything. It's just a word that's easy to pronounce, easy to remember, can be written in both Cyrillic and Latin script, and can be combined with other words — in particular, with our store mycroft.su. If you like, you can think of it as an abbreviation for My Sound Tech or Mycroft Sound Teaser.
As often happens, the birth of the MyST brand was not a single event, but an evolutionary process. It all started with simple trading, accompanied by the accumulation of experience and thoughts about how and what could be done better. Or at least in our own way.
Strangely enough, it all started with something other than audio. The company that later became the basis for production was created to distribute Hyperdrive photo storage devices. But at some point, a partial change of ownership and, as a result, interests led to a transition to trading in audio equipment in 2010. And a very specific one at that time — portable Hi-Fi.
China and the hearing impaired
Back then, this direction was risky. Few people in the country knew that the portable Hi-Fi market existed, and even abroad, the number of companies producing expensive in-ear headphones could be counted on one hand. And almost all of them were involved in hearing aids. An interesting fact: the models for modern music lovers are based on developments intended for the hearing impaired.
Back then, portable Hi-Fi players were just a dream. The most advanced users carried Sony, M-Audio, Tascam, or Marantz recorders. The average consumer had only heard of Sony or iRiver CD players. The majority of the population considered in-ear headphones costing more than 500 rubles to be outrageous heresy.
And that's when we got into portable audio. I think that thanks to our efforts, brands such as HiFiMan, Colorfly, Yuin, Sleek Audio, Kleer, Phonak (headphones), and others became known to a relatively wide audience in Russia. Major suppliers did not believe that there would be demand for “Chinese basement” products with strange names (such as HiFiMan). Nowadays, large companies that collect more or less well-known portable brands from around the world laughed at us seven years ago and thought that the idea would not take off — everyone would use iPhones and Sennheiser CX 300s.
It was difficult to explain to people why Chinese players were so expensive and how they differed from “phones with music.” Many couldn't imagine that a Chinese no-name brand could sound better than Western brands, let alone cost more than $50. The paradigm shift from complete rejection to recognition (and sometimes even idolization) took place over 5–6 years.
At the beginning, it became clear that the Chinese had a strange idea of audio technology. Let's say that reliability at the initial stage could be “understood and forgiven” — it is difficult to expect that basement China (even if it is made in factories adjacent to iPhone production) will immediately be a model of reliability and style. However, strangely enough, with the constant rise in prices and the increase in the number of models, there was no improvement in sound quality. Quite the contrary, in fact.
It has become clear that for most Chinese companies, sound quality in audio equipment is not a priority. I wouldn't say that this is exclusively a Chinese problem, but it is particularly pronounced there. Or perhaps it is noticeable because 90% of the market itself is Chinese.
It's hard to say why this happened, but I'll venture a guess. When the first players and headphones were released, developers focused on the very market of music lovers, which was completely unoccupied and required high-quality sound on the go. An experienced music lover knows that good sound is expensive — and is willing to pay for it.
The first wave of goods went well, and whatever you say, China knows how to work quickly and adapt to the customer if they pay. Therefore, the requirements of the first buyers were quickly met. But then there was a “glitch.” The brands became recognizable, the audience expanded, and companies simply did not understand where the opinions of specialized customers ended and the typical demands of the masses began, when the product is evaluated by comparing hertz and megapixels, even if it is a meat grinder.
The developers thought: if 10,000 reviews demand a “better screen” and only one insists on sound, then we need to make players with a high-quality screen — and we need to produce 10,000 of them. And with better sound — one piece. Of course, no one even tried to make a single copy of the player — instead, they took one from the production run and tweaked it a little to make it look better in the description. The key word here is “description.” Very often, the top-of-the-line devices were no different from the budget ones, except for the packaging and the beautiful case.
And sadly, new devices that came out later and bore the mark of High End — both in terms of advertising positioning and price — did not actually move in the direction of sound. All updates remained a development of the “better screen” theme.
By the way, you are mistaken if you think that the introduction of balanced amplifiers is a departure from sound. It's the classic “more is better.” There was one amplifier, and now there are two. Like megapixels in phones, which are better than mirrors because they have higher resolution.
This behavior by companies manifested itself almost immediately, but at first it was not very pronounced. The market was not yet saturated, and models lasted for several years. In addition, there were many newcomers who could not immediately release something “cool and modern,” so they did without rhinestones and beautiful packaging. To this day, almost all Chinese manufacturers' best models are their very first ones. For example, the HM801 became a legend at HiFiMan.
By the way, the HiFiMan HM603 earned far more reputation points and fan base than all subsequent players combined. After the release of the AP100, Hidizs did not make a single model that music lovers would notice. Colorfly, of course, produces very specific players, but the C4Pro remains the most sensational to date.
the iBasso DX50/90 was renowned for its optimal size, decent quality, and firmware. The Cayin N6 is still the best of Cayin's products. And if we recall the Lotoo Paw Gold, which is still among the leaders regardless of price, there is nothing more to add.
In my opinion, none of the released players have come close to their older counterparts. And it's not just in terms of price-quality ratio — they haven't even tried to catch up with them in terms of sound quality, regardless of the price tag. There are exceptions, of course. QLS, for example, makes products that are exceptionally well thought out. Not often, but accurately. It is very difficult to compete in the market with such an opponent — we follow their players and recommend them to our customers. But alas, these are isolated cases, and they do not change the overall picture.
We
Actually, this “background” was one of the reasons for the creation of our brand. I have an engineering degree and “access to brains and hands” (a legacy of my acquaintances at the well-known Bauman University). In short, the saying “if you want something done right, do it yourself” turned out to be true.
And we did it. Fortunately, there was not much competition at that time — the market was just emerging. For some time, we tried to combine distribution and production, but at a certain point, we realized that we would not be able to perform both functions simultaneously. China was increasing the number of product items at a tremendous rate and, at the same time, was raising prices just as significantly. We no longer had the finances or the desire to purchase entire product lines, as most of the new products did not satisfy us in terms of sound quality and reliability.
Therefore, when major distributors suddenly woke up and made our Chinese partners an offer they couldn't refuse, we weren't particularly upset. After all, it was more useful to put the freed-up resources into our own production and development of new products. That's when our exciting journey into the world of manufacturing our own audio equipment began.
Almost everyone who is familiar with the brand and communicates in our social media groups or on the player.ru forum associates MyST exclusively with me personally. However, I would like to note that I am “one of” the founders of the company, the store, and the production facility, and, concurrently, the chief ideologist of the brand, around which all the work is now concentrated. Nevertheless, I believe it is right to speak not on behalf of one person, but on behalf of the entire team.
First and foremost, it is my business development partner, Maxim Nikitin. He is less visible, but he participates in the work no less than I do, even though he does so “behind the scenes.”
The third key figure in the company's activities was a person whom I was lucky enough to find through the channels of the good old Baumanka. I will not mention this person's name publicly, as he himself wished to remain anonymous. But being little known does not mean making a small contribution. In fact, the very existence of the brand is based on this person's vast experience, as well as his scientific and industrial connections.
You may wonder why I am talking about all this. Usually, when talking about a company's achievements, people try to mention “cutting-edge developments,” “unique technologies,” and the like. Don't rush. In fact, that's exactly what I'm doing — it's just that to understand all our features, you need to see the overall background of the “canvas” on which the picture is painted.
Three secrets
No decisions are ever made solely by me or any of my development partners (although engineers have a considerable degree of freedom, which is understandable—without their initiative, there would be no product at all). Of course, sometimes one of us comes up with an idea that later becomes key. But!
Let's be honest — as an example, we could say that “Musk made a rocket,” but we understand that he couldn't even make the rivets in it himself. And if he did, it would break on its first flight. That's why knowledgeable people say ‘SpaceX’ and not “Musk.”
The same applies in our case: it would be unfair and incorrect to attribute too much value to a thought expressed at just the right moment, given the enormous amount of work that follows. In short, our first super-technology is collective intelligence.
Our second distinctive feature is our approach to product development, which is atypical for the current times. We live in a world where a product description means more than its actual capabilities. In our production, we take the opposite approach. The usual practice is to use “trendy technologies” (regardless of how they affect the end result). We have the opposite priority. We lay down the result in the technical specifications, and how we achieve it is a secondary concern.
For example, the creation of closed-back isodynamic earbuds — the one and only IzoEm. We needed to create portable headphones with a resolution that could not be achieved by any other means. We understood that this would require cramming a full-fledged broadband isodynamic driver into the IEM housing. At that time, no one else in the world had anything like this!
As a result, we found a technology — an isodynamic radiator in a closed-back in-ear headphone enclosure — and the result is high resolution. There are still many problems with this product, but it has great potential for development. If we see it through to the end, the concept of high-quality portable sound will move up a notch or two. Nothing that currently exists comes close to the capabilities of iso-earbuds.
Everything you see here is a small part of the electronic booklet that was downloaded to the tablet when the album was launched.
The menu is extremely informative. When connected to the internet, the system automatically downloads not only album covers, but also additional information about the album and artist being played. This, incidentally, largely compensates for the problem noted by owners of disc libraries: “the file does not give the feeling of owning the item.” When we put a disc on to listen to, we are left with an envelope or box with a multi-page booklet. And in the Naim app, every release comes with a multi-page booklet similar to those included with deluxe and anniversary editions. What's more, the downloaded file contains a wealth of additional information, such as recommendations for albums and artists similar to those you are listening to right now. These selections are, of course, not always straightforward and sometimes surprising, but that makes the process all the more interesting. A controversial recommendation is an opportunity to discover something new. I have already talked about the Naim app in other reviews, and as I gain experience using different network devices, I am becoming more and more convinced that this app is one of the best in terms of convenience and functionality. Many developers save energy and resources by making their branded interfaces extremely concise and uninformative. I have encountered situations where it is impossible to even see what type of file is being played in the program. With Naim, the situation is the opposite.
It may seem that this approach leads to a loss of quality, since old is usually worse than new. But this is a misconception. Those who think this way forget that technologies do not exist on their own—they always exist exclusively in the context of the tasks for which they are created. A hammer is also an outdated technology, but so what? It is not the technology that is important, but what it ultimately delivers.
I will immodestly state that, for example, our combines on the “outdated” 20-bit AD1862 connected to a regular laptop via “antediluvian” SPDIF will outperform 99.99999% of newfangled devices, no matter what they are built on, how they are connected, and how many bits they use in terms of resolution, detail, and attack response.
Honest 18-20 bits will always work better than advertised 24-32 bits. Especially when you consider that “hardware” sound does not exist at 32 bits, or even 24 bits. Files do exist. And real TTX in hardware at the output — God willing, let it grow to at least 20 bits. Therefore, we consider chasing after something new just because it is new to be not only unnecessary, but foolish.
The story of MyST Audio is not just about the emergence of yet another brand. It is a story about how, during a difficult time for the country, a group of enthusiasts could not accept the idea that good sound was only available in foreign products. They were driven not only by engineering, but also by a genuine passion for music and a desire to create something of their own, something familiar, and to do it at the highest level.
The company's path itself is one of trial and error and constant development. From the first, almost artisanal, but already ambitious models of amplifiers and DACs to complex, technologically advanced devices that can boldly compete with world leaders. MyST Audio has proven that Russia not only has talented engineers, but also an audience that appreciates high-quality sound and is ready to support its manufacturer.
Today, MyST Audio is an established and respected brand in the niche market of high-quality audio equipment. Its history reminds us that great things start with a sincere passion. And that even in a very specific field, you can achieve success if you focus not only on technology, but also on a love for the music that this technology is designed to convey.
