Audiophile News, Opinion and Insights

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 a host of PS Audio’s… 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 in the… 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. Nagra’s… 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 dust cover… 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 Imagine… 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 »

Meze Audio is happy to launch 109 Pro Primal: a very special edition of its award-winning 109 Pro headphones and the latest addition to the exclusive Meze Audio Art Gallery collection.  These headphones are handmade by Meze Audio’s skilled artisans,… Read More »

Monitor Audio just announced the launch of the new Anthra Subwoofer Series like the Monitor Audio Anthra W15 reviewed here. This highly anticipated range introduces a trio of high-performance powered subwoofers into the Monitor Audio portfolio. Each of the three… Read More »

For the past few months, I have been somewhat obsessed with these new Gallium Nitride (GaN, for short) amplifiers. Long-time Stereophile writer and classical music recording engineer John Marks was the first to hip me to the concept via an … Read More »

Audiovector ApS, internationally-acclaimed producer of High-End loudspeakers, has chosen Specialty Sound and Vision, LLC (SSV) to represent their brand in the US. SSV is charged with growing Sales, Brand Awareness and Market Presence for the Danish icon and assumes these… Read More »

Victrola announced the upcoming integration of its Victrola Stream turntable line with Roon, a music management and listening solution offering Airplay, Chromecast, and high-performance Roon Ready connectivity, making the wireless vinyl listening experience even more immersive. Along with the new integration, the company… Read More »

Luxman continues to prepare for 2025, the company’s centennial, with a new top-of-the-line integrated amplifier. In addition to the company’s trademark sound quality, the L-509Z is the first component to incorporate the Luxman Integrated Feedback Engine System (LIFES1.0) in both… Read More »

At the AXPONA audiophile show in Chicago this past spring, I had a conversation with a well-respected member of the audiophile community, on the manufacturer side, who was talking about the future of the hobby. His premise was that for… Read More »

The audiophile hobby is guilty of a lot of things, perhaps the most painful of which is our overreliance on often-confusing terminology. This is the case for nearly every category of the hobby. On the pages of FutureAudiophile.com, we try… Read More »

Victrola, a company known for home music playback for more than 115 years, is out with a new turntable that features support of the Qualcomm® aptX Adaptive Bluetooth connectivity or wired with switchable preamp. Victrola’s Hi-Res Carbon (read the full review here)… Read More »

My publisher, Jerry Del Colliano, says I coined the term “Oligarch Audio,” but because I form all my thoughts in a spoken and written language, in my case English, I doubt I’ve ever had a completely original thought in my… Read More »

Marantz is introducing its all-new STEREO 70s 2-Channel Hi-Fi Receiver at this week’s CEDIA EXPO in Denver, Colorado Designed to perform like a full-sized amplifier, the slim and distinguished design of the STEREO 70s elevates any AV system and is… Read More »

Marking seven decades of audio excellence, Marantz proudly presents the 70 Days for 70 Years Trade-In program staring on September 1. This event presents a unique opportunity for both long-time Marantz aficionados and newcomers to elevate their audio setups and… Read More »

There were a lot of things that shocked me during the pandemic. Having sold HomeTheaterReview.com and AudiophileReview.com about 100 days before the shit hit the fan with a global  pandemic, I was trying to figure out at nearly 47 years old… Read More »

Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (“SIE”) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Audeze, a leading audio technology brand and pioneer of high-end gaming headphones. The acquisition will strengthen SIE’s efforts to continue innovating when it comes… Read More »

 The 600 Series has always played a critical role in the Bowers &Wilkins portfolio – not least as the company’s second-longestcontinuously available series after the iconic 800 Series Diamond. Ata time when increasing numbers of listeners are demanding higherquality sound, either through vinyl or high- resolution streaming, the600 Series S3 represents the perfect first step to experiencing music playback designed to be respectful of the artist’s intent – making it theideal entry point into the Bowers & Wilkins brand. The new range includes four distinct models: the floorstanding 603 S3, the 606 S3 stand mount, the 607 S3 bookshelf speaker plus the HTM6S3, a dedicated center channel for home theatre. Each model is available in a choice of finishes, including Oak, White or Black –… Read More »

Audiophiles have a long  and strange relationship with video, be it TVs or projection. Many old-school audiophiles refuse to put a television between their best audiophile loudspeakers when home theater enthusiasts use this configuration as the basis for their entire AV… Read More »

The Florida International Audio Expo just announced the dates for its fifth show, taking place Friday–Sunday, February 16–18, 2024, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Airport Westshore hotel. Tickets and hotel reservations are now available.  Florida International Audiophile Show 2024… Read More »

Gryphon Audio Designs ApS, designer and manufacturer of Ultra-Luxe Audio Systems, introduced its EOS 5 Tower Loudspeaker on 11 August at HKAV (Hong Kong Audio Video) 2023.Building upon technologies pioneered for Gryphon’s revolutionary EOS 2, the larger EOS 5 adds… Read More »

One of the biggest conundrums in the audiophile world is how some change-resistant audiophiles haven’t embraced the amazing power of streaming music. For the cost of one Compact Disc per month, you can have access to nearly every recording made,… Read More »

Community is a big aspect of being an audiophile. Like cliques in a made-for-TV high-school drama, audiophiles love to find like-minded music lovers that believe in a common ideology. That clique then follows the path to what they feel is… Read More »

Anybody tired of inflation yet? I sure as hell am, and I bet you are, too. I refinanced my home-equity loan to help get FutureAudiophile.com funded and off the ground. Less than a year later, the cost of the interest… Read More »

n celebration of Rhino’s 45th anniversary this year, the label is launching Rhino Reds, a new series of limited-edition reissues pressed on custom “Rhino Red” vinyl.  The Rhino Reds series debuts with a reissue of GOLDEN ALBUM, a 1968 compilation by The… Read More »

Denon just announced the launch of two affordable 8K audio/video receivers (AVRs) ideal for small to mid-sized home cinema applications. The 7.2 channel AVR-S770H and the Denon AVR-S670H provide the latest features resulting in outstanding performance, making them the ideal solution for discerning… Read More »

A close friend of mine is a big-time wealth manager and former executive at Goldman Sachs. While not normally prone to conspiracy theories, he has strong beliefs that retail, as we’ve known it, is dead. When pressed, he points to… Read More »

HIFIMAN just debuted a new fully balanced Class A desktop headphone amplifier, the GOLDENWAVE Prelude. Originally released by the GOLDENWAVE brand that was acquired by HIFIMAN earlier this year, the Prelude headphone amplifier (SRP: $2,499), which is GOLDENWAVE’s reference headphone amplifier, boasts several… Read More »

Gordon J. Technologies Inc., parent company of Clarus high-fidelity audio cable, power conditioners and digital-to-analog convertors, and its sister company, Tributaries A/V Cables, today announced a series of new, high end audiophile AC Power cables designed to use advanced technology… Read More »

Gordon J. Technologies Inc., parent company of Clarus high-fidelity audio cable, power conditioners and digital-to-analog convertors, and its sister company, Tributaries A/V Cables, today announced two new series of high end audiophile turntable cables — Aqua and Crimson — designed… Read More »

From day one, the goal of FutureAudiophile.com has been to be a disruptive force in the world of consumer electronics, specifically the audiophile hobby. Like it or not, the demographics of audiophilia are changing. We owe a big debt of gratitude… Read More »

Wireworld RCA Plug Tonearm Cables Wireworld Cable Technology, a long-standing leader in the audiophile cableindustry, announces the release of four new cables for turntables withRCA plug connections. These four cables, named Solstice 8, Eclipse 8,Silver Eclipse 8 and Platinum Eclipse… Read More »

Powered by tremendous enthusiasm from often younger generations, much greater scrutiny is being paid these days to the environment and the impact we have on it. We are moving towards the goal of reducing our carbon footprint. We are looking… Read More »

There are a lot of things the audiophile world does well. For decades, we presented the coolest new tech at the Consumer Electronics Show. More importantly, the audiophile hobby allows us to bring music into our lives in ways that is often… Read More »

Audiophile headphone company, HIFIMAN, just announced both the acquisition of a respected audio designer/manufacturer and the debut of a new DAC/headphone amplifier that takes full advantage of HIFIMAN’s acclaimed Hymalaya Pro ladder DAC.  New from the GOLDENWAVE brand, the GOLDENWAVE SERENADE desktop… Read More »

Pangea Audio Distributing, a developer and manufacturer of high performance, high-value audiophile accessories, today announced a new wall-mount turntable shelf designed to withstand weights up to 40 lbs. The Pangea Audio Turntable Wall Mounted Premier SE Shelf MKII (SRP: $199.95), upgrades its predecessor,… Read More »

One of my favorite places on Earth is the North County region of San Diego. Sound United (right before they got bought by medical technology company Masimo for a cool $1,000,000,000) moved to a sleepy little cul-de-sac in Carlsbad, with… Read More »

Right now, I’m on a crappy flight in United (seat 1E on a crappy old Trump-Shuttle-era 757) en route home from a very well-attended and produced AXPONA 2023 audiophile show. Props the the AXPONA people, who put a lot of… Read More »

MartinLogan loudspeakers just unveiled their Motion Foundation Series, a new line of products that redefines affordability while maintaining the brand’s commitment to an uncompromising audio experience. Designed to capture new customers and cater to emerging audiophiles, the Motion® Foundation® Series… Read More »

When Mark Knopfler famously sang about “money for nothing and chicks for free,” he might have over-exaggerated the glamor of working in consumer electronics, but not by that much. Never have I had so much fun going to work in… Read More »

Wireworld Cable Technology today announced the release of their Stratus™ and Electra™ Shielded Mini Power Conditioning Cords. These cords feature a new conductor geometry that provides shielding and isolation from external interference. They’re called ‘Power Conditioning Cords’ because they extend… Read More »

I was first introduced to audiophilia by way of an all-McIntosh system when I was 15 years old. I was still riding a bicycle and most of the music I heard was by way of a handheld AM transistor radio… Read More »

Audiophiles tend to fall into a number of different camps when it comes to the philosophy of system design. The first one if the Linn Camp, which suggests that your system is only as good as your main source component. That’s… Read More »

There was no more unifying concept for my college buddies and me than going Compact Disc shopping. In the mid-1990s, the CD was the unquestioned king of all silver-disc media, and when we weren’t spending every free dollar on audio gear,… Read More »

Gramophone just announced the Grand Opening of their fifth and newest showroom, the one-of-a-kind Gramophone Experience Center.  The exclusive showcase, located at 8 West Aylesbury Road in Timonium, Maryland — next door to Gramophone’s existing retail location — features some… Read More »

Debuting in the new DB12, Aston Martin drivers will be able to enjoy the newly developed Bowers & Wilkins Surround Sound System in their cars for the first time, as two iconic British brands announce an exciting new audio partnership.… Read More »

T.H.E. Show, North America’s longest-running HiFi audio trade show, is announcing the launch of their record label, T.H.E, Music Group, and accompanying radio show, T.H.E. Radio Show, marking a new era in the HiFi audio industry. This innovative venture will… Read More »

Las Vegas is the undisputed gambling mecca in the United States and perhaps the world. Home to casinos galore, breathtaking hotels, entertainment of all varieties and even a surprising amount of debauchery, Vegas is a gambler’s paradise. Catering to all… Read More »

Rhino Records label is launching an exclusive premium vinyl series, Rhino High Fidelity (Rhino Hi-Fi). These high-end, limited-edition vinyl reissues of classic albums claim to represent the pinnacle of sound and packaging.  The first two Rhino High Fidelity albums are… Read More »

Gryphon Audio Designs ApS, designer and manufacturer of Ultra-Luxe Audio Systems, proudly announces the world premiere of their new Diablo 333 Integrated Amplifier, today at HIGH END Munich, Atrium 4.1, Room E120. Surpassing the legendary Diablo 300 was no simple… Read More »

One of the biggest historical criticisms of the audiophile hobby is that many old-school traditionalists sometimes fall into a habit of listening to audio more than listening to music. In a perfect world, your audio system should be able to… Read More »

Swiss high-end audio firm, Audio Technology Switzerland SA, announces the High End 2023 Munich show official world debut of the Nagra Classic DAC II. Nagra’s newest digital offering, the Classic DAC II, features the same NADM (Nagra Audio Digital Module)… Read More »

Marantz, a leading manufacturer of high-performance audio and video equipment, is proud to announce the launch of the silver gold finish for its Marantz SACD 30n, CINEMA 40 and 50 AVR receivers. The new color will be available exclusively on Marantz.com,… Read More »

At the High End Munich show 2023, Grimm Audio introduces the MU2 high-end music streamer to the audiophile audience. The MU2 is a sister product of their famous MU1. It offers the same functionality with integrated Roon Labs Core and… Read More »

NAD Electronics will launch the NAD C 3050 Integrated Amplifier (read the review) at High End Munich in Germany. Demonstration sessions of the C 3050 Stereophonic Amplifier will run, for the first time, at the show in Room D108 in… Read More »

Bluesound today announced the launch of a special limited-run Anniversary Edition NODE X streamer created in celebration of its 10th anniversary. The NODE X, in a unique silver finish, takes the brand’s iconic NODE hi-res player and, yet again, sets a new standard… Read More »

Florida-based Reel Sound Distribution Inc. is now the exclusive distributor of the world-famous line of hi-fi audio products from Metaxas & Sins, following a partnership agreement with designer Kostas Metaxas. The Metaxas & Sins line of audio equipment includes the… Read More »

The Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus is and always has been a unique combination of unbridled ambition and revolutionary design – the result oftruly original ‘outside the box’ thinking that perfectly encapsulates the Bowers & Wilkins brand philosophy. To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of this iconic loudspeaker, Bowers and Wilkins has produced a unique pair in a dramatic Abalone Pearl finish.Pearl is, of course, the perfect color for a 30th Anniversary – and it’s all-the-more appropriate since it’s also the color of the internal shell of themarine mollusk that inspired the Nautilus name. Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus That Nautilus is still the most visually arresting speaker available, evensome 30 years after its introduction, is testimony to the remarkable, ground-breaking vision of both company founder John Bowers, who initiated theNautilus project shortly before he passed away, and the lead engineer whowould eventually deliver on that legacy, Laurence Dickie. The idea behind Nautilus was simple, but immensely challenging: ‘makea loudspeaker that doesn’t sound like a loudspeaker’. Armed with an exceptionally wide brief, no time constraints and few limitations related top racticality or cost, the Nautilus emerged almost as a concept car made reality, a radical five-year project to explore how many of the negative effects of the loudspeaker enclosure could be eliminated by innovative design. The result was a revolution in loudspeaker engineering that introducedthe concept of the exponentially… Read More »

Audiophile music can be tough to swallow for non-hobbyists. Incredibly well-recorded albums from mostly unknown artists with unfamiliar songs and often obscure musical genres can be a bit off-putting to anyone who hasn’t already drank the Kool-Aid. If you’re buying… Read More »

Designed to work perfectly with the Denon PMA-1700NE affordable integrated amplifier and DCD- 1700NE CD Player, the DNP-2000NE is packed with advanced features to provide an immersive music experience like no other. Denon’s new audiophile grade end point HEOS integration for seamless music… Read More »

Audiophiles collect gear. Audiophiles collect music. Many of us also collect books that enrich the hobby. These can range from technical explainers to music-oriented to books about the hobby and the business itself. While these books can be a design… Read More »

The Diamond Surround Sound System by Bowers & Wilkins, whichalso featured in the launch of the new BMW 7 Series models,combines expert engineering and elegant design to deliver an audiophile-grade experience throughout the vehicle’s interior. Dan Shepherd, Vice President of Licensing and Partnerships at Bowers & Wilkins, said: “We are proud to be continuing our partnership with BMW Group to incorporate our high-performance Diamond Surround Sound System… Read More »

It has been a long time since I rock and rolled… and I think thousands of others at AXPONA 2023 felt the same way. For the past few years, real-world fears of COVID-19 made it unreasonable to for most of… Read More »

Qobuz, one of the leading high-quality music streaming and download platforms, is continuing its international expansion with its launch today in Canada. With Qobuz hitting the market, all Canadian music lovers who are looking for a unique music experience will… Read More »

Overall, despite a very successful launch, there are a few things I wish I would have done differently from the get-go with FutureAudiophile.com.  One of the biggest faux pas was picking a higher-commission source for affiliate sales as opposed to going… Read More »

 Sony Electronics announced the MDR-MV1 Reference Monitor Headphones, designed for professional sound engineers and music creators. The headphones combine sound quality with long-lasting wear and reliability. Their open back design enables accurate reproduction of a wide sound field, making them a suitable… Read More »