We don’t often talk about Hong Kong’s local audio industry, but in recent years, this sector has been gradually emerging. Nostalgia Audio, founded in 2020, is one of the standout representatives. In just five years, the two founders, Artanis and Adrian, have not only infused their products with a unique tuning style but also incorporated storytelling-inspired designs and a diverse product line strategy. This has allowed them to successfully transition from Hong Kong to the international stage. Nostalgia Audio tells stories through earphones, and this time, it’s our turn to learn about their growth story!
Artanis stated that using visualized techniques and epic-style story naming helps users immerse themselves more easily and fully enjoy the products.
Pendragon is the newest offering from Nostalgia Audio, delivering a thunderous low-end that evokes the commanding presence of King Arthur leading his forces into war.
Pendragon continues to embody the brand's unwavering commitment to meticulous craftsmanship.
The latest product, Pendragon, breaks away from the brand's traditional black-and-gold packaging style, opting instead for a white-dominated design accented by watercolor-painted Gothic illustrations, offering a refreshing new look.
Product Design: Transforming Epics into Audible Reality
The naming of Nostalgia Audio's headphones, such as Pendragon, Durandal, and Camelot, originates from the legends of King Arthur or Charlemagne. This is not merely a stylistic trick but rather the brand's consistent storytelling-driven product design philosophy. Founders Artanis and Adrian stated: "We are not just selling headphones; we are selling an epic that can be heard."
These well-known characters become the soul of the products, giving each headphone and cable a unique personality. For example, the queen chess piece shape of Guinevere evokes the elegance of a queen, while the impactful bass of Pendragon resembles the grandeur of King Arthur leading an army into battle. This design strategy not only attracts through storytelling but also makes the products more memorable, embedding the brand's image deeply in people's minds.
In terms of visual design, Nostalgia Audio has always valued deep collaboration with local artists. For instance, Tesseract partnered with renowned painter Elaine Chiu to create packaging full of artistic flair. The latest product, Pendragon, boldly breaks away from the traditional black-and-gold packaging style, using white as the primary tone, paired with watercolor-painted Gothic illustrations and iridescent foil details. This design has a classical flavor without losing a modern touch. The artwork also cleverly incorporates the silhouettes of previous headphone models as Easter eggs for loyal fans, showcasing the depth and continuity of the brand's worldview.
As for the flagship model Royal Camelot, the brand incorporates jewelry craftsmanship, using an 18K gold shell with 24K pure gold plating, and diamonds hand-set by artisans. Combined with 3D printing and traditional lost-wax casting techniques, it not only looks luxurious but also delivers uncompromising sound performance. For them, aesthetics and sound quality are equally important, and neither can be compromised.
Camelot is Nostalgia Audio's breakthrough creation, bringing greater recognition to this Hong Kong audio brand.
Camelot L is a limited-edition model that has attracted many overseas collectors.
The flagship product Royal Camelot was created in collaboration with Hong Kong jewelry artisans, featuring a fully handcrafted 18K gold shell, plated with 24K pure gold, and adorned with a diamond-encrusted panel. This highlights the brand's commitment to local craftsmanship.。
Dual-Market Strategy: Strengthening the domestic base while exploring global opportunities.
As a homegrown Hong Kong brand, Nostalgia Audio has not limited itself to the local market but has simultaneously expanded internationally from its inception. Facing differences in preferences between Hong Kong and overseas consumers, the company has opted for a flexible approach by adjusting its strategies. In Hong Kong, they focus on flagship IEMs like Pendragon and Camelot, which emphasize ultimate sound quality and design. Meanwhile, in overseas markets, particularly Japan and South Korea, they enhance collectability and appeal through limited-edition collaborations and designs that incorporate local culture, such as HaNa-Tan.
"The most surprised us was the Korean market,” shared from the two founders. In the early stages of the brand, Korean audiophiles highly praised the sound quality and craftsmanship of their top-tier monitoring-grade products like Camelot and Tesseract, which provided a strong boost of confidence and inspiration for subsequent product development. Korean users also showed a strong interest in accessories, such as eartips and protective cases, prompting the brand to pay greater attention to the development of its overall product ecosystem, which led to the creation and innovation of products beyond earphones.
Establishing a foothold in the international market has not been without challenges. The brand has deeply felt the prejudice that “Hong Kong brands” are often mistaken for “Chi-Fi” (Chinese Hi-Fi, referring to audio brands from mainland China) in global markets. However, the two are entirely different in terms of product philosophy, R&D processes, and tuning concepts. To break this stereotype, Nostalgia Audio has consistently focused on design and culture—such as blending Eastern and Western aesthetics in their tuning, collaborating with other local brands, and participating in international exhibitions like CanJam—in hopes of gradually building a unique Hong Kong identity in the audio industry.
Apart from Camelot, Tesseract is another highly acclaimed flagship earphone from Nostalgia Audio.
In addition to developing IEMs, the brand has been pursuing a diversified approach by simultaneously launching upgrade cables since its inception.
XWB eartips, among other accessories, have gained significant popularity, especially in South Korea.
Adrian explained that Nostalgia Audio intentionally chose "Audio" as part of the brand name, rather than "Ears" or "Cables," as they had already decided from the beginning to pursue diversified development.
Positioning and Innovation: Building a Complete Audio Ecosystem
Unlike many traditional audio brands that focus on a single product line, Nostalgia Audio has embraced a multi-pronged development strategy from the very beginning. This approach includes simultaneous development of IEMs and upgrade cables, later expanding to accessories like XWB eartips. The deliberate choice of "Audio" in their brand name, instead of "Ears" or "Cables," reflects their ambition to be unrestricted in their product offerings.
While this strategy initially caused some confusion about their positioning—prompting questions like whether they are a headphone brand or a cable specialist—time has proven their capabilities in multiple areas. With a product line that continues to grow and mature, confidence in their ability to excel across categories has steadily increased. For example, their upgrade cable lineup has evolved from the Unicorn Prestige to the soon-to-be-released Guinevere, showcasing not only consistent world-building in their naming conventions but also their expertise in cable design.
When it comes to IP collaborations, Nostalgia Audio is both bold and open-minded. In 2024, they released collaborative IEMs with Japanese utaite singer Hanatan and Hong Kong VTuber Mia, drawing interest from new customers who typically wouldn't consider high-end audio products. "We’re not worried about these collaborations affecting the brand’s professional image," they explained. "Instead, we see it as an opportunity to introduce more people to high-quality personal audio equipment and showcase how they differ from standard headphones."
Looking ahead, the brand plans to continue exploring cross-industry collaborations with singers, music producers, and artists. Through these partnerships, they aim to position headphones as cultural carriers while expanding the high-end audio industry’s reach to new audiences.
In addition to collaborations with IP like anime and games, the brand also has a Professional Series that establishes its professional image, appealing to a wide range of customer demographics.
Last year, Nostalgia Audio launched headphones in collaboration with the Japanese singer 花たん, attracting a number of non-audiophile customers and bringing more potential new users from outside the industry.
Nostalgia Audio also launched NA 3 MYA Custom headphones in collaboration with the popular Hong Kong VTuber Mia.
In recent years, the brand has also collaborated with singers and music producers to create customized headphones that are suitable for professional use.
Future Development: Expanding Beyond Headphones
Looking back over the past five years, Nostalgia Audio has steadily pursued its original vision—starting from audiophiles to create products they truly want to listen to and use. Artanis and Adrian admit that they initially didn’t set any grand strategies; instead, they approached it from an audiophile’s perspective, trying to turn their imagination of sound into reality and see if the market would embrace this philosophy.
The launch of the flagship headphones, Camelot, was undoubtedly a turning point for the brand. It not only drew more attention to Nostalgia Audio but also instilled confidence in the team to push further. Subsequently, they explored various forms of collaboration—such as working with musicians and producers to develop the Professional Series, or engaging in interesting cross-industry collaborations that foster dialogue between sound design and different creative cultures.
Despite this, they are not in a rush to launch a multitude of new products. Instead, they prefer to take their time, carefully refining each idea and possibility. They emphasize that they don’t want to create products merely to cater to market demands; rather, they hope each product represents the brand's philosophy and style. "Of course, we want our products to be popular, but we’re more interested in creating something groundbreaking."
Looking ahead to the next five years, they aim to release more representative products like Camelot that build a strong reputation, helping audiophiles truly remember the name Nostalgia Audio and establish long-term recognition in the market. In this ever-evolving industry, they aspire for each new creation to step out of their comfort zone, challenge themselves, and learn more about acoustics and design. Their vision extends beyond headphones; they even indicate a willingness to venture outside personal audio, potentially launching non-headphone products and gadgets. Interestingly, they are currently working on clothing and have registered the name "Nostalgia Hong Kong," hoping to expand the brand further.
Starting from sound, Nostalgia Audio is gradually weaving a brand universe that transcends the realm of headphones, making the future truly exciting to look forward to.
Nostalgia Audio also sells T-shirts! You can find them on the official website