Audiophile News, Opinion and Insights

At its lowest common denominator, involving oneself in the practice of the audio arts, what we practitioners known as the audiophile hobby, is quite simple to understand. Audiophiles want, demand, and are always in search of an immersive, dynamic and… Read More »

Andover Audio just announced the launch of the SpinBase 2, the next evolution of its award-winning turntable-speaker system. Maintaining the clean, classic design of the original SpinBase, the new model dials up the aesthetic with heathered fabric wrap and Andover’s iconic… Read More »

Mainstream loudspeaker company, Bose, announced today that they are purchasing Upstate New York based, McIntosh. McIntosh is one of the most iconic brands in the history of audio and bring a respected electronics brand to pair with Bose. Italian loudspeaker manufacturer, Sonus faber,… Read More »

When you think about it, audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts should really have a lot in common. Any good home theater starts with great sound reproduction, and audiophile gear is all about producing studio-quality audio. The surround sound part of… Read More »

HIFIMAN is about to ship ARYA UNVEILED, the latest addition to HIFIMAN’s acclaimed Arya series of high-end planar magnetic headphones.  The ARYA UNVEILED (SRP: $1,449) features the company’s new Magnetic Veil, a removable back panel that protects the headphone. Also included is HIFIMAN’s… Read More »

For the past 31 years, I have lived in Los Angeles. However, I grew up in Philadelphia, which can be a pretty strange place on any number of levels. Despite its proximity to New York, which is a simple, one-hour… Read More »

Wireworld Cable Technology, one of the world’s most respected brands of high-performance audio and video cables, is introducing their next generation ‘Series 10’ audio cables. These new cables incorporate several technical and visual improvements over the previous ‘Series 8’. The… Read More »

Vacuum tubes, historically speaking and consistent with what are used in today’s audio systems, were invented, according to most sources, in 1904 by John Ambrose Flemming. In 1907, New York inventor Lee de Forest patented a tube design similar to… Read More »

It is always exciting when a brand like Rotel sends you a component from their flagship lineup. Rotel, a blue-chip, value-based brand, is known for making quality audiophile-grade components. The P5 Series 2 from Rotel’s Michi line is a preamplifier… Read More »

Qobuz, the French pioneer of high-quality music streaming since 2007, takes a major step with its launch in Japan, the world’s second-largest music market. This strategic expansion marks a decisive turning point in the international development of the platform, reinforcing… Read More »

It is no secret that I am a fan of many of the growing number of regional audiophile shows. Do they have their issues? Sure, they do, but where is there a better place for audiophiles to experience some of… Read More »

WiiM is excited to announce the integration of its powerful WiiM OS into Audio Pro’s newest speakers. This collaboration combines Audio Pro’s over four decades of expertise in speaker design with the feature-rich and user-friendly WiiM OS, resulting in a… Read More »

The Revox B77 is a true icon in the audio world. Famous and awarded for its outstanding sound reproduction and high-quality, sustainable construction, it sets the standard for analog audiophile excellence.  As a Revox product, it reproduces music exactly as… Read More »

The first installment of this How to Creatively Save Money to Buy Audiophile Gear (read it here) was quite popular, so we are back with some more ideas on how to stash some dough away for that new streamer, turntable,… Read More »

Ask almost anyone, audiophile or not, if they’ve ever experienced ringing in their ears, and the answer will likely be yes. For about 10 percent of the U.S. population, however, this persistent ringing is more than just a fleeting experience… Read More »

Qobuz, the French pioneer of high-quality music streaming, launches Studio Student, a brand new offer aimed at students who are passionate about music and top-notch sound. Enrolled students ranging from 18 to 25 years old will be able to access Qobuz’… Read More »

With the new EPIKORE Series, DALI draws upon its expertise in over 40 years of loudspeaker research and development. ​The natural evolution of the acclaimed DALI EPICON series — inheriting several innovative technologies from the DALI KORE flagship speaker —… Read More »

Audio-Technica, a producer of innovative audiophile experiences for more than 60 years, recently opened TECHNICA HOUSE – New York, a unique marketing salon dedicated to connecting the various artistic communities — music, art, fashion, cuisine, and more — that make… Read More »

HIFIMAN just debuted a new Goldenwave tube headphone amplifier at the recent CanJam SoCal 2024, featuring pure analog sonics that are unique to this model. The new Goldenwave GA-10 (SRP: $1,599) is an audiophile-grade headphone amplifier that features the SEPP (single-ended push-pull)… Read More »

One of our favorite ultra-high-end audiophile dealers and one of the publication’s best industry friends, Sunil Merchant, and his Sunny Components in Covina, California, was recently robbed on Father’s Day 2024. The robbers were “pros” on one level, in that… Read More »

SVS, a leading manufacturer of high-performance speakers, subwoofers, and accessories, proudly announces a new flagship subwoofer series, 17-Ultra R|Evolution. A complete reimagining of subwoofer design for the Ohio-based audio brand, innovations abound in the new series making it the most… Read More »

Bowers & Wilkins, has introduced two new premium finishes to its portfolio of high performance, multi-award-winning over-ear headphones, Px7 S2e and Px8. The new Px7 S2e Ruby Red and Px8 Dark Forest finishes expand on the already extensive range of… Read More »

NAD Electronics just announced the NAD M10 V3 BluOS Streaming Amplifier is now available. Building upon its predecessor the M10 V2, the M10 V3 features improved audio performance and the latest generation of technologies including MM Phone Input and Dirac… Read More »

Mistelbach, Austria – September 24th, 2024 – Pro-Ject Audio Systems is proud to announce the latest edition to the T Series of turntables, the T1 EVO, T1 EVO Phono & T1 EVO BT. Improvements include a classic groove-slayer in the Ortofon OM10 MM phono cartridge, a larger… Read More »

Last week, I spoke with one of my high-end audio dealer friends, as he was in need of rightfully venting a little bit after a highly organized client demonstration of some ultra-expensive audiophile electronics ended up in an unsalvageable situation.… Read More »

When I brought my first audio system home from the store, way back in 1973, I was so very excited. At the time, I had no music, because it then took every penny to my name to purchase the system… Read More »

There are a lot of colorful personalities in the audiophile business. When I was exiled from audiophile publishing between the end of 2019 and 2022 because of the non-compete that I signed after the sale of HomeTheaterReview.com and AudiophileReview.com, I… Read More »

Throughout Totem Acoustic’s 38 year storied history, the 2-way monitor loudspeaker has played a very significant role. Think highly musical, accurate, perfect phase coherency and three-dimensional expansiveness, all the while, yielding performance that defies their size. This company has been… Read More »

Putting aside the huge percentage (year to year) gains in sales that vinyl enjoyed during the pandemic, we really live a digital world when it comes to audio, and that world is almost all streaming as of 2024. Physical media… Read More »

In a world where silence is golden but noise is embraced, protecting your hearing is truly a defensive art – especially for audiophiles. From the roar of traffic to the potentially harmful volume settings on the devices that live dangerously… Read More »

BLUESOUND, the original wireless hi-res multi-room music brand, just announced three new wireless music streamers, the NODE NANO, NODE, and flagship NODE ICON. A slim and compact streamer, the new NODE NANO is the perfect entry streamer, offering only the… Read More »

I was at JBL a year or two ago for a media event, possibly a pre-CEDIA preview and part of the day was spent in a conference room listening about how Harman has been spending lots of time and money… Read More »

For those of us who make our living selling things, in my case, advertising, there is a certain joy in working with a truly professional salesperson. Somebody who isn’t pushy. Somebody who knows their products as well as how they… Read More »

The worlds of high-performance audio and home theater should get along better than they do most of the time. Most good AV stores that sell audiophile components also sell home theater systems. In these magical home theater systems, things connect… Read More »

MartinLogan just launched its latest subwoofer lineup. Featuring the Dynamo® Foundation, Dynamo® and Abyss® Series, this new lineup is poised to be a benchmark in compact bass performance, offering a diverse array of advanced features and masterful artistry. “We’re thrilled to offer high-quality audio solutions at an exceptional value while preservingeverything that makes MartinLogan unique,” said Allan Tarrant, Senior Vice President of MartinLogan. “Our newest subwoofers exemplify our commitment to innovation and excellence inaudio engineering. With their design for seamless integration with any brand of speaker, they are aversatile choice that enhance any home audio system.” “We are excited to bring powerful, precision bass into homes in a way that complements anyenvironment,” said Andrew Lindsey, Product Manager at MartinLogan. “Each model has beenmeticulously engineered to deliver a… Read More »

Vinyl’s unexpected comeback as a format for audiophiles was one of the many shockers of the pandemic. Audiophiles of all ages decided to get back into playing the 100-plus-year-old format for various reasons. Some people love listening to a musical… Read More »

For audiophiles looking to take their streaming and local music management to the next level, Roon is a music management and organization system that works with both music from your library and some streaming systems. You may think that this… Read More »

Each month in 2024, it seems like I have been to another audiophile show. The Tampa show was in February. Dallas was in March. AXPONA was in early April, and soon, I will park my wide-load in a seat and… Read More »

To be an audiophile is not just to love audio gear, but also the music that is played back on such a high-performance music playback system. Audiophiles live and breathe good sound, with a whole lot of emphasis on music,… Read More »

SVS, a leading manufacturer of high-performance speakers, subwoofers, and wireless audio products, proudly announces the addition of the SVS SoundPath Speaker Level Subwoofer Adapter to its growing line of AV accessory solutions. Many integrated amplifiers and legacy stereo receivers lack… Read More »

Bowers & Wilkins is finding itself branded in more and more luxury cars. Why did a publicly-traded medical products company spend $1,000,000,000 to buy a bunch of audiophile and home theater brands? Many were left asking that question when the… Read More »

Is anybody else tired of the word “billionaire” being used so often in modern media and society? I am. There are reportedly 2,800 billionaires on the planet Earth that is host to roughly 8,200,000,000 human beings. Here in the richest… Read More »

I’ve discussed the importance of hearing health and hearing loss prevention in previous articles, and my genuine hope is that at least a few readers were inspired enough to take my recommended preventative measures to heart. Who knows, maybe a handful of elder millennial… Read More »

Swedish room correction and digital audio company, Dirac and Bluesound Node (read the review), makers of high fidelity multi-room streaming devices, just announced a collaboration to integrate Dirac’s award-winning Dirac Live Room Correction solution into select Bluesound device like the… Read More »

If we lived in a perfect world, we might seek audiophile components that do nothing other than sound great. There are examples of such products out there, such as ATI amplifiers, which up until recently used to be handmade right… Read More »

One of the business books that I have always loved is Trout and Ries’ The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing (buy at Amazon) which I believe was originally published back in the 1970s. One of the key elements of the… Read More »

Sometimes, in life, things seem too good to be true. In the audiophile world, nowhere is this more prevalent than when talking about Chi-Fi (Chinese-made and often sold direct) gear. If you still not hip to Chi-Fi check out my… Read More »

The University of the South was not a school that I had heard of until my audiophile friend, classical recording engineer and former Absolute Sound and Stereophile writer John Marks, told me about their audiophile listening room. A priest at … Read More »

One of the key editorial tasks that we took on was taking on audiophile lore and cliché and seeing how it holds up over time. We’ve recently stepped into the “all DACs sound the same” topic (hint: they don’t). We’ve… Read More »

Unless someone comes up with a highly innovative alternative, connecting all those various components in our audiophile systems still requires the use of cables. Some people believe cables absolutely improve sonics, while others feel all cables are the same, with… Read More »

For 20 years, there have been some faint voices discussing demographic issues that the audiophile hobby has, mainly being the fact that the hobby is nearly all-male and predominantly supported by Baby Boomers who are now aged into their 70s.… Read More »

There are a lot of things to love about the audiophile hobby, from its long past dating back to the 1960s (perhaps even before depending on your historical outlook), as well as the rich potential that listening to music has for today’s… Read More »

 It is likely the audiophile forum Audio Science Review that should get credit for starting this thread talking about digital to analog converters and the vast improvements in today’s DAC chips. The question was “Do All DACs Sound the Same?”… Read More »

Don’t feel bad if you can’t tell me the unique differences between an audiophile endpoint and a music streamer. It is a bold new world where streaming music services have delivered basically full access to damn close to every album… Read More »

Conventional wisdom and, frankly, common sense tells us the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. If you wanted to travel from one city to another several hundred miles away, you’d simply look at the map and pick… Read More »

By Jerry Del Colliano You’ve seen the film This Is Spinal Tap!, right? Even if you haven’t, the chances that you don’t know the joke that goes “but this one goes to 11” are pretty slim, unless you’ve been living… Read More »

You know when Wall Street is buying up all of the music catalogs that there is something good going on in the music industry. What’s good is that, according to the RIAA in 2022, gross combined revenue (including all sources)… Read More »

SVS Launched New Ultra Evolution Speakers SVS, leading manufacturer of high-performance speakers, powerful subwoofers, wireless audio, cables, and accessories, proudly announces a new flagship speaker series, SVS Ultra Evolution. Consisting of seven new models featuring advancements in driver design, cabinet… Read More »

Unless you are into sports like golf or polo as your pastime, the audiophile hobby is one of the more expensive ways that you can spend your discretionary dollars. While audiophiles like you and I are always looking for those… Read More »

British audiophile company, Cambridge Audio, just unveiled the Evo 150 DeLorean Edition. This is the first product to celebrate Cambridge as the official audio partner of the legendary DeLorean Motor Company, Inc. Built upon the award-winning Evo 150 all-in-one integrated amplifier… Read More »

Meze Audio just introduced LIRIC 2nd Generation, a major evolution of its acclaimed LIRIC closed-back over-the-ear audiophile headphones with performance enhancements, a new striped ebony wood finish and more modularity for easier upgrades and a long life of listening pleasure. … Read More »

I’ve said it before and I will say it again – the single most important component in any audiophile system are your ears. Surprisingly, this is an often-overlooked topic of conversation among audiophiles, who are (given their age and male-dominated… Read More »

Upgrading our audiophile system is a big part of the fun in this hobby. Maybe we want to simply heighten our musical enjoyment by improving the configuration of our audio system. Perhaps recent listening experiences at an audiophile dealer, an… Read More »

By Jerry Del Colliano  Anybody who’s been in the audiophile hobby, even for a little while, knows that when they enter the realm of the audio salon or stereo store, they can pretty easily ask for (and get) a 20-percent-off… Read More »

It is hard to feel bad for that guy who just spent $275,000 on that new V8 Ferrari, but how do you tell him that no matter how little he drives his Prancing Horse from Maranello, Italy, and no matter… Read More »

Have you ever eaten at Din Tai Fung? It is a Taiwanese soup dumpling restaurant that is the only “chain” to have earned a Michelin Star, which is about as lofty a culinary goal as there is in the world of fine… Read More »

If you want to get the attention of my 11-year-old Vincenzo (Enzo, for short), you would be well-served hitting him up on ROBLOX. This seemingly low-resolution video game in the metaverse has him and every boy (and many a girl) every… Read More »

There are those outside our beloved hobby who might claim audiophilia is little more than a collection of technological snobs. Others may feel audiophiles are certifiably crazy. They point to the lunacy of the cost of upper level audio systems… Read More »

In a perfect world, no right-minded audiophile would ever throw away his or her equipment boxes. None of us live in a perfect world and, for many of us, storage space comes at a tremendous premium. How to manage your… Read More »

Imagine you walk into your favorite local audiophile dealer to spend some time listening to the latest and greatest gear on display. Years ago, most professional stereo salespeople had a short stack of their best Compact Discs ready to play… Read More »

There is a sea change going on in the audiophile hobby coming from the world of electronics – specifically via a whole crop of new-school, Class-D amplifiers (learn more here). These amps are designed around any number of somewhat modern… Read More »

STAX just introduced the SRM-D10 II portable headphone amplifier, available for sale from the first quarter of 2024. Featuring significant updates from the original SRM-D10, the SRM-D10 II continues to elevate listening experiences for STAX fans worldwide.  The SRM-D10 II… Read More »

The audiophile hobby has always been a bit of a cult of personality, based around mostly male, Baby Boomer engineer types, whose main purpose in life is to find the highest possible quality music playback performance from any and all… Read More »

Accepting that you are repeated loser can be a tough pill to swallow when you have any modicum success in your professional life, but this is where I stand today. The reason for my malaise is that, no matter how… Read More »

The long-awaited reunion of the renowned Abbey Road EMI TG12345 MKI recording console and Lockwood Major Loudspeakers has marked a significant milestone in music history. Lockwood proudly provided a pair of original Lockwood Major Loudspeakers to support the special Bonhams… Read More »

In the very early days of musical playback, as far back as the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, most music devotees bought a console audio system. These units were the ultimate all-in-one. A single, large cabinet housed the stereo power… Read More »

In a significant expansion of its acclaimed Stellar Series lineup, PS Audio just announced the introduction of its PS Audio StellarGold preamplifier (read the review) and PS Audio StellarGold DAC (read the review). The two new high-end audio components incorporate… Read More »

Masimo believes that music should be at the heart of your home, enhancing your daily life. Our commitment to creating a seamless experience has always driven us to continuously evolve our platform. We’re thrilled to announce a significant visual and… Read More »

My wife and I recently realized that during our COVID-era lockdown, we inadvertently got away from many of the things that we really enjoyed doing. But for now, we are back out and enjoying life and trying to restore some… Read More »

Stenheim, the Switzerland-based speaker company that utilizes aluminum cabinets and high-efficiency drivers to create some of the hi-fi industry’s most renowned and musical loudspeakers, launched its new Alumine Two.Five, a passive two-way, floorstanding speaker, at an exclusive media event held at the… Read More »

Sitting in our living room with the inward-facing French doors open to let the cool evening ocean breeze waft in, I cued up my audiophile system for some chill, trip-hop, loungy/electronic jams as my wife and I had a rare… Read More »

World renowned for its signature high output, low-distortion audio engineering and trusted by musicians, studios, live sound engineers and audiophiles over five decades, The Acoustic Transducer Company (ATC) is proud to announce the production of the C4 Sub Mk 2… Read More »

Loudspeakers are somewhat of a marvel. Where electronic components are designed to efficiently move electrical signals from one place to the next, speakers have the unique job of converting those signals to the mechanical vibrations we perceive as music. Without… Read More »

Pangea Audio, a developer and manufacturer of high performance, high value audio accessories, announced today a new edition of its acclaimed Record Doctor vacuum record cleaning machines that simultaneously cleans both sides of a record, saving time and effort over… Read More »

Longtime audiophile reviewer Steven Stone was being shy in a recent phone conversation. As far as I can tell, he coined the phrase oligarch audio which describes audiophile components that are priced north of $100,000. By anyone’s measure, that is… Read More »

After my article about three recent in-warranty repairs, my publisher, Jerry Del Colliano, asked me to write about out-of-warranty audiophile repairs. Those are the ones that you can expect to have to pay for. Basically, there are three out-of-warranty repair… Read More »

Noted subwoofer manufacturer, REL Acoustics, just unveiled the T/9x Red subwoofer to the audiophile market. Evolving from the foundational T/9x, this Special Edition subwoofer combines arresting aesthetics with improved driver performance, pushing the boundaries of both design and sound. The… Read More »

A few years before COVID, I walked into a listening room at a CEDIA show in Denver for an audition of Wisdom Audio’s latest powered and room-corrected speakers. Calling it a room is a stretch, mind you, as these demo spaces are easily assembled… Read More »

REKKORD Audio, the company whose extensive selection of high-end turntables is meticulously designed and handmade in one of Europe’s foremost audio manufacturing facilities, is bringing its high performance, intuitive F100 turntable to U.S.-based music lovers who are ready to partake… Read More »

After years of intense research and development, the Nagra HD PHONO is finally available for discerning listeners of vinyl. It is the ideal complement to the HD range and the world-acclaimed HD PREAMP, HD DAC X and HD AMP monoblocks.… Read More »

The human ear is quite an amazing piece of audio gear. It’s an intricate yet vast system of tiny, superbly-tuned components working in sync to convert mechanical energy into what we interpret as sound. Most people, audiophiles included, will go… Read More »

Pangea Audio, developer and manufacturer of high performance, high value audio accessories, just announced it now offers its low-profile Record Doctor Record Clamp with a black chrome knob, adding a new color option for listeners who prefer to use a… Read More »

PSB Speakers just announced the launch of a new generation of the highly acclaimed Imagine Series speaker line at Toronto Audio Fest. The latest edition of the Imagine Series consists of the B50 Bookshelf, T54 and T65 Tower speakers. The… Read More »

One of the ugly truths of consumer electronics is that stuff breaks. When we’re lucky, a malfunction occurs while the product is still under warranty. But what do those warranties actually cover, practically speaking? The following stories draw from my… Read More »

Børresen is thrilled to introduce the X2 speaker, a sleek and elegant, three-unit, floorstanding loudspeaker, that is the smallest model in the award-winning X series. This new loudspeaker reflects Børresen’s commitment to meeting diverse needs of listeners while maintaining the… Read More »

Audiophile loudspeaker company, Bowers & Wilkins, has launched a new version of its award-winning wireless speaker in collaboration with long-standing partner, McLaren Automotive. Introducing the new Zeppelin McLaren Edition. Read More »

Gryphon’s highly anticipated Diablo 333 Integrated Amplifier will make its North American Dealer Debut today, Thursday, 16 November at The Sound Environment, Omaha, NE. Anthony Chiarella, Gryphon’s North American Director of Sales and Marketing, will present the amplifier and be… Read More »

For most audiophiles, the road to sonic nirvana often follows the path of increasingly better equipment. Many of us spend decades and untold thousands of dollars replacing an existing something for a something better – all in the hopes of… Read More »

We talk a lot about how the future of the audiophile hobby needs to be inclusive. We need to ditch some of the old-school standards and practices like only listening in a messy listening room by yourself versus having your… Read More »