Audiophile News, Opinion and Insights

GoldenEar just announced the T44 – the newest addition to its T Series loudspeakers. This compact floorstanding speaker blends GoldenEar’s signature acoustic innovations with a downsized, décor-friendly footprint inspired by the award-winning T66. The T44 delivers expansive sound, lifelike imaging… Read the Review »

There is a wealth of luxury products and companies that possess a rich and diverse legacy. As audiophiles and music enthusiasts, our hobby is certainly no different. We enjoy a bevy of fantastic audio gear designed by a long list… Read the Review »

Put 10 people in a room and play a song none have ever heard before. It is a pretty safe bet one or two of the 10 will love the song, one or two more may not like it at… Read the Review »

Besides the ugly name, the biggest problem for the audiophile hobby is making it more inclusive for a younger, more diverse group of buyers. This is basically a summary of the FutureAudiophile.com Mission Statement. For far too long, the audiophile hobby… Read the Review »

Since opening its doors in 1931, Abbey Road Studios has been instrumental in shaping the landscape of popular music. Its unique spaces have inspired generations of artists and composers to create era-defining work, while its skilled engineering team have reinvented … Read the Review »

Electric cars are a quantum leap forward in automotive design. Even mid-priced battery powered or EV cars are simply faster than nearly every uber-exotic car on the market. A new Rivian pickup truck (2.5 seconds) with the quad motor can… Read the Review »

Spring is audiophile show season, and there is no one bigger, more pressing, scarier topic than American tariffs to most audiophile companies. I’ve spoken to well over 100 audiophile companies at AXPONA in Chicago this April, as well as to… Read the Review »

Over 25 years ago at that year’s CES show, my team and I literally invented the concept of audiophile show coverage from a brand new suite at the then recently opened Bellagio. Jazz drives and dial-up modems were involved and,… Read the Review »

By any measure, audiophiles are predominantly concerned about any number of specifics. We endlessly evaluate our systems down to the most intricate of details in the hope, perhaps even the expectation, of improved sonics. We pursue component selection with the… Read the Review »

You can take all of the publisher and CEO titles and forget them when they come to me because I am sticking with the descriptor that is more comfortable for me, and that is stereo salesman. I was good at… Read the Review »

Goodwill isn’t always just a place that you take your old Armani pants to donate and get a write-off for your tax returns. Goodwill can be a line item on the Purchase and Sale Agreement when you sell a business… Read the Review »

Joe Cali was my boss when I had possibly the greatest college job ever, which was selling the world’s most expensive audiophile systems with Joe and his then-partner, Mark Levinson, at the Cello Music and Film Showroom in West Hollywood.… Read the Review »

Rarely, if ever, do I mention that I live in Pacific Palisades, California in my reviews or opinion pieces. If it is ever relevant in an article or social media post, I say that I live in Los Angeles, which… Read the Review »

Anyone who has had even a minimum exposure to the audiophile hobby knows how expensive it can be. Let’s face it, the gross majority of non-audio hobbyists would think anyone who would spend over one million dollars on a stereo… Read the Review »

Bowers & Wilkins is trusted by music professionals the world over to deliver the most detailed, natural and immersive sound available. The brand has a long-established pedigree not only in the manufacture of reference-quality loudspeakers, but also in category-defining headphones,… Read the Review »

Today’s audiophile gear has gotten so good and so affordable that it is amazing. We talk a lot about Chi-Fi, but that is far from the end of the volume of top-performing audiophile gear in the market today. There are all sorts of… Read the Review »

The Pi8 McLaren Edition, a new version of the award-winning Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 wireless earbuds has been unveiled, developed in collaboration with McLaren Automotive and the McLaren Formula 1 Team. The new earbuds build on the success of the award-winning… Read the Review »

PS Audio just announced its all-new PMG Signature Series of top-of-the-line ultimate-performance audio components. The four models in the series include the PMG Signature Preamplifier, PMG Signature 512 PureStream DAC,PMG Signature Phono Preamplifier and PMG Signature SACD Transport. All are… Read the Review »

For audiophiles, driving with music blasting from the speakers in our car audio system is a ritual that makes long commutes bearable and road trips legendary. Installed premium car audio systems have evolved significantly over the years, with upgraded components… Read the Review »

Rotel DX-5 Stereo Integrated Amplifier – a sleek integrated amp that delivers 33 Watts/channel into 4 ohms (25 Watts/channel at 8 ohms) via a class AB internal amp. The 768kHz ESS ES9039Q2M Sabre DAC ensures ultra-low noise (100 dB SNR)… Read the Review »

Being exiled from our home because of the Palisades Fire, we are now living 125 miles south in San Diego, which in a matter of days has jogged some long-forgotten, geographically specific audiophile memories. When I was in Music and… Read the Review »

SVS today announces their new 5000 R|Evolution Series subwoofers. The two new models extend the subwoofer technology platform previously developed for the brand’s flagship 17-Ultra R|Evolution subwoofers, bringing reference performance to lower prices and smaller enclosures. Comprised of the SB-5000… Read the Review »

Anyone who has seen the 1997 feature film Boogie Nights (or lived through that times as an adult) knows that, for an American man in the 1970s, your masculinity was often significantly defined most by what car you drove. Muscle… Read the Review »

Orchard Audio just announced that the PecanPi+ Streamer Premium has received Roon Ready certification from Roon Labs. The PecanPi+ Streamer Premium is a plug-and-play high-resolution music streamer. Control music wirelessly using your phone, tablet, or computer. The device can also be connected to… Read the Review »

It wasn’t all that long ago when no self-respecting audiophile would listen to the same system for both stereo and their multi-channel home theater setups. Most thought that a purist two-channel audiophile system that was carefully set up could provide almost holographic… Read the Review »

WiiM just introduced the Vibelink Amp—a powerful 100W per channel amplifier designed for high-fidelity sound across digital and analog sources. Ideal for passive speakers and existing streamers, it seamlessly integrates into any setup. The Vibelink Amp delivers rich, dynamic audio with nearly… Read the Review »

 PS Audio announces the release of The Audiophile’s Guide, a comprehensive 10-volume series on every aspect of audio system setup, equipment selection, analog and digital technology, speaker placement, room acoustics, and other topics related to getting the most musical enjoyment from an audio… Read the Review »

Luxury Audio Group and its partners have put together something special for AXPONA 2025, April 11-13 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center, 1551 Thoreau Dr. N, Schaumburg, IL, 60173. The active exhibit and demonstrations will feature a curated… Read the Review »

It was pre-pandemic and I got an unexpected call from audiophile icon Dan D’Agostino, the founder of Krell and the impresario behind his namesake brand of uber-high-performance audiophile gear. He wanted to know if I still owned my 1997 Porsche… Read the Review »

A trusted source with inside information into the inner-workings of Best Buy and more specifically, Magnolia, has told FutureAudiophile.com that McIntosh electronics will no longer be sold in the national chain. Initially we learned that this more would not be an… Read the Review »

The audiophile hobby is on the verge of its first major demographic change since its inception back in the early 1960s. That might not be a popular or uplifting topic with some of the OG audiophiles, but it is a… Read the Review »

Bowers & Wilkins, the renowned high-end audio loudspeaker brand, together with luxury supercar maker and Formula 1 team McLaren, today announce an extension to their strategic long-term multi-year partnership which sees Bowers & Wilkins become Official Audio Partner across McLaren Automotive… Read the Review »

While space is at a premium, music lovers still want the highest, no compromise quality from their personal audio. The new Rotel DX-3 combines an exceptionally well specified, high-performance headphone amplifier, preamplifier and stand-alone DAC in a superbly designed single component measuring an efficient 215mm x… Read the Review »

The idea that a really cool television shouldn’t be part of your stereo system is one of the worst cliches of the audiophile hobby. Let me get this right … I am supposed to not hang a gorgeous 65-inch UHD… Read the Review »

Our chosen hobby essentially consists of two ways to listen to the music our carefully curated systems produce. We listen in two basic ways – firstly, for simple pleasure, and secondly, for sonic examination and evaluation. Everyone does the former;… Read the Review »

Rotel just announced announced a significant strategic shift in its U.S. market operations. Effective March 1, 2025, Rotel will directly distribute its renowned Rotel and Michi products to dealers across the United States through its newly established entity, Clear Wave… Read the Review »

Audiophiles will debate all sorts of topics with enthusiast passion, but one thing that most of us agree on is that your listening room is the most important component of your system. Some audiophile systems are lucky enough to be… Read the Review »

Orchard Audio is thrilled to announce it is expanding into the headphone market with the launch of Valencia, the first ultra-high-performance 17wpc, class AB, balanced headphone power amplifier. Valencia is designed to drive the most demanding headphones, while remaining clean… Read the Review »

One of my favorite professors in college was named Ken Lopez. He was the former president of JBL Professional and an overall great guy. This guy knew audio in ways that were tangential, but very important to my overall education… Read the Review »