@Featured
IsoTek V5 Sigmas Power Conditioner Reviewed
My relationship with power conditioning products has always been a complex one. Over the years I’ve tried several from very respected brands, but not IsoTek. Most provided some sort of sonic improvement to my system, while others seemed to do… Read More »
More @Featured
Three Affordable Digital Upgrades That Are Cheap, Easy and Work
There are a lot of tweaks that you can make to an audiophile turntable. Many of them make big differences, as the analog nature of spinning vinyl discs benefits from having excellent setup. The reality for nearly every audiophile today is… Read More »
Piega Ace 30 Wireless Bookshelf Speakers Reviewed
Every few decades, a technological innovation transforms the audiophile world. The 1980s introduced the Compact Disc, standardizing audio fidelity. The 1990s saw the rise of MP3s and file-sharing, filling hard drives with music for the first time. In the 2000s,… Read More »
Why It Can Be Difficult to Explain the Audiophile Hobby to Non-Audiophiles
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 »
HiFi Rose RA280 Integrated Amplifier Reviewed
Few brands have caught my eye over the last 12 months as much as has HiFi Rose. They are among the few companies in the audiophile market that look like they are making some changes in their products. We see… Read More »
Bose Purchases McIntosh Group Inc. in a Curious Move
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 »
Benchmark Media LA4 Preamplifier Reviewed
Benchmark Media Systems made its reputation in both pro audio and audiophile circles by designing gear with extraordinarily low noise and distortion, and selling it at reasonable prices. When I reviewed Benchmark’s AHB2 stereo power amp (read my review), I was so… Read More »
Why is the Audiophile Hobby Better Than Home Theater?
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 »
PS Audio BHK Mono 600 Amplifiers Reviewed
PS Audio has evolved over its 50-plus years of business and now manufactures a complete line of high-performance audiophile products designed to reproduce music from digital sources to speakers and everything in between. Their product line starts at the middle… Read More »
Estelon AURA Floorstanding Loudspeakers Reviewed
One of the best things about the audiophile hobby is the diversity of designers and equipment manufacturers. Having owned a major home theater publication in my somewhat recent past, I can tell you that only a few companies make a… Read More »
McIntosh’s House of Sound is a Super Cool Experience in NYC and You Are Invited
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 »
T+A A 200 Amplifier Reviewed
This is the last in a series of T+A reviews in which we already looked at their MP 200 music player and DAC 200 Preamplifier/DAC (read my reviews). The A 200 Amplifier we discuss below may be the most flexible in that, while it is… Read More »
Alta Audio Alec Speakers Reviewed
The Alec loudspeaker, by boutique audiophile speaker company Alta Audio, is a two-way floorstanding model with rather unique technology incorporated. If you haven’t heard of Alta Audio before, you are like me. Our publisher, Jerry Del Colliano, sent me some information about the… Read More »
Rotel Michi P5 Series 2 Preamplifier Reviewed
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 »
How To Realistically Listen to Music at an Audiophile Show
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 »
Rockport Avior II Loudspeakers Reviewed
Rockport Technologies is a company with origins that date back to 1990, when they released their first audiophile component, a reference phonograph named the Sirius. Phonographs live and die by how well the designer can isolate and control vibration to… Read More »
Kanto TUK Premium Powered Speakers Reviewed
The first time I heard Kanto speakers was in 2018 at the Axpona audiophile show in the suburbs of Chicago. The Canadian lifestyle consumer electronics brand had a modest setup in the convention’s lower marketplace area (typically reserved for smaller… Read More »
McIntosh Labs MT5 Precision Turntable Reviewed
Ask any audiophile who has been in the hobby for a decade or more to identify a legacy brand, and the name McIntosh will almost certainly be mentioned. Founded by Frank McIntosh and residing in Binghamton, New York since 1952,… Read More »
More Creative Ways to Save Money to Buy More Audiophile Gear
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 »
Boulder 508 Phono Preamplifier Reviewed
Mention Boulder Amplifiers to almost any audiophile and the resulting comments will almost certainly be much the same. These opinions may include world-class performance, impeccable quality, best of the best, big, heavy and, of course, very expensive. None of these… Read More »
MartinLogan Motion XT B100 Bookshelf Speakers Reviewed
MartinLogan, renowned for its high-end floorstanding speakers (often electrostatic), aims to bring the performance of those speakers to a different market. They’ve done this by completely reimagining their Motion Series catalog of floorstanding and audiophile bookshelf speakers, and putting the speakers through a… Read More »
An Audiophile’s Guide To Avoiding Tinnitus
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 »
Cambridge Audio CXN100 Music Streamer/DAC
Cambridge Audio has a 50-year legacy of designing and producing high-performance audio components with a high-value proposition over 10 years in music streaming electronics. It has become quite popular in recent years. To keep up with a vast amount of… Read More »
Anthem STR Integrated Amplifier Reviewed
The Anthem STR (buy at Crutchfield) is a midrange option in the world of audiophile integrated amplifiers with a price tag of $4,999. Anthem has chosen to take a very audiophile route with this integrated amplifier. What I mean by this is that, instead of… Read More »
Sunny Components Robbed of Uber-High-End Audiophile Gear on Father’s Day
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 »
Pass Labs INT-250 Integrated Amp Reviewed
One of the most affordable and, in this case, powerful ways to rock your audiophile system is to look for a high-end integrated amp for your power needs. The Pass Labs INT-250 is one of many strong options in the $10,000-plus price… Read More »
McIntosh MDA200 DAC Reviewed
Perhaps no single brand in the history of audio defines the high end of the hobby more than McIntosh. The marquee’s legacy dates back before the boom in popularity of music, as well as audio, in the late 1960s. In… Read More »
The Audiophile Hobby is More Fun When You Have a Strong Relationship with Your Local Retailer
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 »
Benchmark Media Systems AHB2 Stereo Power Amplifier Reviewed
For years, the audio world acknowledged one main contender (at least at sub-five-figure pricing) for the quietest, cleanest, most neutral power amplifier around. That was the Benchmark AHB2 ($3,499 – buy at Amazon), whose specifications are still, for all practical… Read More »
Pass Labs X250.8 Stereo Amplifier Reviewed
If there is anything that seems patently obvious about Nelson Pass, it may be reasonably said he loves designing audiophile amplifiers. Additionally, his company has one of the best reputations in the industry of doing so with magnificent results. Whereas many… Read More »
How Important is Using a Great Audiophile Equipment Rack?
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 »
Lumin D3 Streamer/DAC Reviewed
One of the fastest-growing categories in the audiophile hobby today is streaming. There are many mainstream music streamers that offer pretty fantastic connectivity and Apple-like ease-of-use, stunning graphical user interfaces and whole-home connectivity. With less than nine percent of all… Read More »
Cambridge Audio EVO 150 DeLorean Edition Integrated Amplifier Reviewed
The Cambridge EVO 150 DeLorean Edition marks a refreshingly unique marketing choice by the folks at Cambridge Audio. They have taken their EVO 150 product which comes with the same built-in steaming features, 150 Watts of class D power into… Read More »
Andy Singer Recent Demise Reminds Us of an Urgent Audiophile Demographic Problem
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 »
SPL Director MK2 DAC/Preamp Reviewed
So I get a phone call from a fellow audiophile friend who is known for un-Earthing some of the more high performance and often value-oriented brands in the audiophile world and he’s ranting and raving. He recently found a German… Read More »
SPL Performer S1200 Power Amp Reviewed
Professional audio products sometimes have a somewhat strained relationship in the audiophile hobby, but they shouldn’t. The people who actually make the music that we love are some of the best-equipped to design or inspire the best-performing music playback equipment.… Read More »
Totem Acoustic introduces the KIN ONE
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 »
SVS Ultra Evolution Pinnacle Loudspeakers Reviewed
It wasn’t that many years ago that SVS was a forum-promoted, somewhat small subwoofer company with a solid cult following in the DIY-enthusiast home theater market. Today, SVS is an entirely different entity that dominates the subwoofer market and has been able… Read More »
How To Pick the Right Digital Cable for Your Audiophile System
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 »
Audeze Maxwell Planar Magnetic Gaming Headphones Reviewed
The entire editorial mission of FutureAudiophile.com is to bring the audiophile hobby to a new generation of enthusiasts. Someone who is younger, more diverse and who loves music. They also should be interested in high-performance technology and understand that, to… Read More »
Five Practical Ways Audiophiles Can Protect Their Hearing in the Real World
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 »
Quad Revela 1 Bookshelf Speakers Reviewed
Investing in a pair of excellent bookshelf speakers provides a cost-effective and space-efficient means of achieving a transcendent listening experience without physically dominating your living and listening areas. When combined with high-quality components (and arguably, a capable subwoofer in most… Read More »
Acoustique Quality Labrador 39 Bookshelf Speakers Reviewed
Although I myself also have fairly extensive knowledge of HiFi manufacturers and brands, I sometimes encounter speakers and components from brands that are new or unfamiliar to me. Case in point – Acoustique Quality, hailing from the Czech Republic, recently sent me… Read More »
Stenheim Alumine Two.Five Floorstanding Loudspeakers Reviewed
Swiss-made audiophile gear is all the rage these days, especially in the world of electronics. However, speakers from Switzerland are equally as sought after as amps, preamps and digital components. These days, Stenheim is at the top of the list… Read More »
What Is the “Pretty Woman Close” and the “Levinson-Sucks Close” and Why They Need to Die?
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 »
Atma-Sphere Class-D GaN Mono Amplifiers Reviewed
It’s no secret that we at Future Audiophile are big fans of Class-D power amplifiers. We’ve reviewed many, and while not every Class-D amplifier is superb, some of the most neutral, smooth, and transparent amplifiers being made today are based… Read More »
Why HDMI is Important for Audiophiles
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 »
CH Precision M1.1 Amplifier Reviewed
Switzerland is a country known for many things, such as political neutrality, incredible chocolate, fantastic skiing and, most notably, the finest watches on the planet. We likely should add ultra-premium audio into the list of fantastic things that come from… Read More »
PSB Speakers Imagine T65 Loudspeaker Reviewed
Back in January, I finally solved an ongoing audio conundrum I had: Finding an affordable, true reference-level set of loudspeakers. I solved this problem when I received in PSB Speakers’ flagship Synchrony T800 loudspeaker (read the review). The Synchrony T800… Read More »
Topping D90 III Sabre DAC Reviewed
One of the most exciting yet volatile categories in the audiophile hobby includes DACs and streamers. Without question, the Chi-Fi brands have disrupted this category in ways that can only be seen as good for mainstream consumers and value-seeking audiophiles… Read More »
The Basics of Setting Up an Audiophile Turntable
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 »
Bricasti M19 SACD and Compact Disc Transport Reviewed
I am quite invested in Bricasti, having put 15 years into adding and upgrading their products as the core of my ever-changing audiophile reference system. When the news came across my desk of the new Bricasti Design M19 (M19) transport, I had… Read More »
Boulder 861 Power Amp Reviewed
There is a lot of exotica in the audiophile hobby and, when it comes to power amplifiers, Boulder is likely to land at the front of the pack. Jeff Nelson’s team in Boulder, Colorado designs and builds some of the… Read More »
An Audiophile’s Guide to Using Roon for Music Management
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 »
Weiss Engineering Helios DAC Reviewed
With over four decades in the art and science of audio, Daniel Weiss started his audio tenure in 1979 with pioneering company Studer, then founded his own company making pro series equipment and moved into home audio in 2000. I… Read More »
Should You Travel to Attend an Audiophile Show?
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 »
Boulder 812 DAC/Preamp Reviewed
When I think of badass audiophile power amps, there are a few brands that pop into my head, but at the front of the list is Boulder. Before the CEDIA trade show (mostly for AV custom installers) this past fall… Read More »
PS Audio AirLens Streamer Reviewed
The PS Audio AirLens retails for $1,999 and is a single-component audiophile streamer often referred to as a “network transport.” This is not to be mistaken for a streaming DAC, which is alternatively known as a “network player” that includes… Read More »
Pass Labs XP-27 Phonostage Reviewed
Pass Labs has long been known for innovation, build quality, performance and perhaps, to many audiophiles, value. When I reviewed the highly capable Pass Labs XP-17 Phonostage (read the review), I quickly became convinced, enamored even, of the performance and… Read More »
Can You Still Be a Real Audiophile If You Have Lost a Little of Your Hearing?
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 »
Laufer Teknik Memory Player 64 Reviewed
Sometime in the late 1990s, audio designer, scientist and quantum physicist Mark Porzilli started thinking about digital music and why he felt it sounded so artificial, with hardly any tangible association to natural-sounding music. In fact, this line of thought occurred about… Read More »
Rega Planar 3 Turntable Reviewed
Rega is a blue-chip brand in the audiophile community, and there are many good reasons why. For starters, every product has been painstakingly built by hand in England since 1973. Engineering is one of Rega’s founding pillars. Rega has built… Read More »
Bold Predictions on Who Will Buy Masimo’s Sound United Brands
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 »
RBH 61-SF/R Bookshelf Loudspeakers Reviewed
I was first introduced, in-person, to Utah-based RBH Sound in 2023, when I had the opportunity to review their excellent entry-level floorstanding speakers, the RBH 6500-SF (read my review here). During the course of my research for that particular review,… Read More »
T+A DAC 200 DAC/Preamplifier Reviewed
In my last T+A review we discussed how the source component performs the critical job of injecting the audio you want to listen to into your system while keeping it pristine. I would argue that this next component has an… Read More »
How Many Audiophile Whales Are There Really?
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 »
Magnepan MG2.7i Planar Loudspeaker Reviewed
Founded in Minnesota in 1969, Magnepan is an iconic speaker manufacturer in the audiophile world, its speakers instantly recognizable both visually and sonically. Today, Magnepan’s speakers (which the firm calls Magneplanars) are still designed and built in White Bear Lake,… Read More »
Monitor Audio Anthra W15 Subwoofer Reviewed
Founded in 1972 in Cambridge, England, Monitor Audio has consistently produced well-received loudspeakers, and today offers everything from basic bookshelf models to towers with multiple woofers. (With acquisitions of turntable and electronics maker Roksan and audio furniture maker Blok, Monitor… Read More »
IsoTek V5 Elektra Power Conditioner Reviewed
A power conditioner is an often overlooked, cherry-on-top component that helps to enhance a HiFi system’s performance. We have discussed system synergy here at Future Audiophile before, and how the journey to audio satisfaction is part of the fun. Having… Read More »
The Look of Your Audiophile Gear Is an Important Element to Its Overall Value
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 »
iFi Zen One Signature Digital to Analog Converter Reviewed
In some ways, there are few things that will be as important to the modern audiophile as their DAC, as the vast majority of music today is being listened to through digital sources. Streaming continues to get more and more… Read More »
PS Audio Stellar Gold Preamp Reviewed
A few months ago, I wrote about secret designers quietly making very high-value audiophile components. Seeking these products out is often worth the effort, as they tend to punch above their weight class. Darren Meyers is quite not an audiophile… Read More »
HiFi Rose GaN Integrated Amplifier RA180 Reviewed
Let’s face it, not every audiophile has the room or desire for separate components for their electronics. The HiFi Rose RA180 integrated amplifier (buy at Crutchfield) was built specifically for this group of audiophiles who prefer a one-box approach, but… Read More »
The Radical Change in Brand Dynamics in Audiophile Electronics and What the Future Will Bring
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 »
Outlaw Audio RR2160MkII Integrated Amplifier Reviewed
The RR2160MkII (yes, that is a mouthful) is an integrated amplifier from the direct-to-consumer brand Outlaw Audio. If you’re not familiar with Outlaw Audio, they are a Massachusetts-based company that was founded in 1999, and has been making fine audiophile-grade products ever… Read More »
T+A MP200 Multi Source Player Reviewed
The first component in your audio system playback chain is your source component, and it’s arguably the most critical in your system. Your source component needs to be able to play your media and get it to the rest of… Read More »
The Audiophile Realities of Owning Chi-Fi Gear
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 »
Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3 Bookshelf Speaker Reviewed
For years, the Bowers & Wilkins 600 series has been a favorite among audiophiles looking for a great, detailed bookshelf speaker. Their latest iteration of the series, the Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3 (buy at Crutchfield), promises to build on… Read More »
Have You Considered What Will Be Your Audiophile Legacy?
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 »
PS Audio Stellar Gold Digital to Analog Converter Reviewed
PS Audio is one of the most time-tested and trusted brand names in the audiophile hobby. Not every audiophile knows that, a few years back, PS Audio made the controversial move to dump all of their traditional dealers, thus leaving… Read More »
Pass Labs XP-17 Phonostage Reviewed
When commercial operations first began in 1991, Pass Labs took the innovative amplifier creations from the kitchen table of founder Nelson Pass and rose to become one of the more respected and awarded audio companies currently in business. In 1994,… Read More »
Orchard Audio PecanPi+ Streaming DAC Reviewed
Orchard Audio is an American audiophile company based in New Jersey, where its products are designed and assembled with its owner and product designer, Leo Ayzenshtat. Orchard Audio could be described as a fan-favorite, direct-to-the-consumer audio manufacturer that focuses on… Read More »
Which Audiophile Speakers Should You Buy: Floorstanding or Bookshelf?
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 »
Wharfedale Aura 1 Stand Mounted Loudspeakers Reviewed
If you have been an audiophile, even for a short time, you have come to understand that different regions of the globe have a certain geographically specific sound to their loudspeakers that is hard to miss. One of the more… Read More »
Bricasti M3 Audiophile DAC Reviewed
The audiophile world is jam-packed with companies making uber-expensive components that cost what they cost mainly because of scarcity, esoterica and, sometimes, simple gross profiteering. Bricasti’s audiophile offerings are a breath of fresh air in this sometimes-polluted world of technological… Read More »
Which Cables Should You Use With Your Audio System, Do They Matter and Why?
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 »
Chord Anni Integrated Amplifier Reviewed
The Anni from Chord Electronics is a small form factor, desktop-style integrated amplifier. This small but powerful integrated amplifier features both a 3.5 and a quarter-inch headphone jack, as well as 10 watts into eight ohms of Class AB amplification… Read More »
Orchard Audio Starkrimson Mono Premium Amps Reviewed
The world of semiconductor-based amps has been the most wonderfully disruptive category in the audiophile hobby, and Orchard Audio is one of the main brands behind the movement. We discussed this matter in depth in this featured news story. A… Read More »
Eversolo DMP A6 Streaming DAC and Music Server Reviewed
The Eversolo DMP A6 (buy at Amazon), which retails for $859, is a full-featured audiophile music streamer and audiophile digital to analog converter (DAC) that from here on out we will refer to as a streaming DAC. The Eversolo DMP… Read More »
Should You Buy an Audiophile Store?
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 »
Are You Out of the Audiophile Club If You Stop Buying Gear?
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 »
Chord Qutest DAC Reviewed
The Chord Qutest audiophile DAC is a small form factor $1,595 dedicated digital-to-analog converter designed for both audiophile and desktop solutions. Made in England, this diminutive DAC is built to survive any possible unforeseen nuclear fallout, with its thick aluminum… Read More »
Leak Stereo 230 Integrated Amplifier Reviewed
The Stereo 230 from Leak is a modern take on a heritage design from the English audiophile brand Leak, which has been making high-performance components since 1934. This $1,695 integrated amp is designed to look similar to the Stereo 30,… Read More »
If DAC Chips Perform Perfectly Then Why Don’t All DACs Sound the Same?
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 »
HiFi Rose RS520 Network Streamer and Integrated Amplifier Reviewed
The RS520 from Korean brand HiFi Rose is a what the company calls a “All-In-One Network Streamer.” In this case, all-in-one means it has a built-in network player, DAC and amplifier, and I can tell you that is just scratching… Read More »
RBH Sound SFTR Partially Active Modular Speaker System
Last year, I reviewed RBH Sound’s SVTR fully active speaker system. They are a monster in terms of performance, size and is pretty expensive at approximately $40,000 per pair, depending on configuration. While I was working on that review, I… Read More »
What’s the Difference Between an Audiophile Endpoint and a Music Streamer?
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 »
SVS Ultra Evolution Bookshelf Speakers Reviewed
The newly-released SVS Ultra Evolution line consists of floorstanding speakers, satellite speakers, height channel speakers, a three-way center channel speaker and bookshelves. I had the opportunity to review the latter. The SVS Ultra Evolution Bookshelf speakers (buy at Crutchfield) are… Read More »
WiiM Pro Plus Audiophile Endpoint/Streamer Reviewed
Even the audiophile elders admit that streaming provides the best performance and most cost-effective way to get CD- to HD-quality audio into your audiophile system. In 2022, only a tiny fraction of the record high sales for recorded music was… Read More »
Should You Consolidate Your Stereo Preamp With Other Audiophile Components?
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 »