@Featured
ATC SCM7 v.3 Loudspeakers Reviewed
Most of us have probably listened to music through two-way bookshelf-sized loudspeakers at some point or another. What exactly is a two-way bookshelf loudspeaker? It is a loudspeaker that has two drivers: a small driver called a tweeter that handles… Read More »
More @Featured
Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones Reviewed
There was a time when my dear friend Ethan and I brainstormed the concept of what a true pair of high-end wireless Bluetooth speakers would look, feel, and sound like. On my way to the plane for which I am… Read More »
The Problem with Best Buy
One of the advantages of living in a big city is all of the access to various services, products, and experiences. Being a resident of a major metropolis gives you access to cultural, medical, culinary, and—in the case of the… Read More »
MartinLogan ElectroMotion ESL Loudspeakers Reviewed
There was a time when you could walk through Circuit City or other major electronics retailers and see speakers similar to MartinLogan’s ElectroMotion CLS on display alongside all of the traditional cones-in-cabinets speakers. These days, though, there’s a good chance… Read More »
A Local High End Running Shoe Store Ran Out Of Customers Because of Poor Inventory Policies
One of my stated goals as a consumer is to support local retailers. Sure, I buy my fair share of crap from Amazon.com just like everybody else but when possible, I try to shop local. One store that I used… Read More »
Focal Chora 806 Loudspeakers Reviewed
It wasn’t long ago that a five-liter V8 engine generated 225 horsepower. Today, technology allows 260 horsepower from a much smaller four-cylinder engine – and the fuel economy is far superior. Well-designed bookshelf loudspeakers from a reputable manufacturer like Focal… Read More »
Anthem STR Stereo Preamplifier Reviewed
Like many of you, I don’t have a perfect listening room, so having room correction built into a preamplifier can be a game changer. The Anthem STR preamplifier (buy at Crutchfield) has Anthem’s ARC GENESIS room correction, bass management for… Read More »
GrooveWasher Mondo Record Cleaning Kit
It should be obvious that a clean record makes for a better listening experience. There are a multiplicity of ways to clean your records. When you pull a rock through a canyon (which is what a record player does) it… Read More »
Maybe We Need an Audiophile Gear Recycling Program to Kickstart New Industry Growth?
You want to know why I’d rather be a high-end sports car dealer than an audiophile store owner these days? More often than not, high-end cars, over time, wear out or get old. People wreck them more frequently than you’d… Read More »
Polk PSW111 Powered Subwoofer Reviewed
Small subwoofers make the audio world a better place. I am not sure how the audiophile community once missed out on this news story, but with a modest sub, any music lover can add the entire lower octave of music… Read More »
Bricasti Design M20 Stereo Preamplifier Reviewed
Given that many of today’s DACs, phono stages, and even amplifiers have their own internal volume controls, it may not be clear why you would ever want to integrate a preamplifier into your modern audiophile music system. In my view,… Read More »
Technics EAH-A800 Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones Reviewed
Retro is all the rage these days, and a number of companies have taken that mantle leaving the musty pawn shops and cluttered old record stores that sell 1970s gear and turned it into a modern audiophile sales boom. McIntosh… Read More »
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones Reviewed
Perhaps my favorite product category of the past five years has been wireless over-ear headphones. There’s been so much growth and improvement in this highly relevant space. The Sennheiser Momentum 4 (buy at Crutchfield) are a next-generation offering in the… Read More »
In the Audiophile World, Higher Price Doesn’t Always Equal Higher Performance
One of the biggest audiophile fallacies is a pricier or more exclusive product is going to perform better than a more affordable or mass-market solution. Perhaps that was once the case, but new-school audiophiles are increasing supporting manufacturers who deliver… Read More »
Does Inflation Always Makes Audiophile Products Cost More? Not Always… Here’s How to Cope
If you have a pair of ears, or even only one functioning ear, it’s impossible to avoid the “I” word these days. Most of the inflation news today is bad, and that makes sense as bad news creates media-based user… Read More »
Trinnov Amethyst Stereo Preamplifier Reviewed
I was introduced to Trinnov more than a decade ago when the company’s Room Optimizer was demonstrated to me through a Sherwood R-972 receiver. Now, more than a decade and hundreds of product demonstrations later, I am still very impressed… Read More »
How Chi-Fi Is Re-Energizing the Audiophile Hobby
Recently, I’ve been asking audiophile industry executives what they think of Chi-Fi or “Chinese Hi-Fi (aka: audiophile components made in China, sold directly to clients all over the world at often hard-to-conceive-of prices). It has been notable how many were… Read More »
Focal Bathys Bluetooth Active Noise Cancelling Headphones Reviewed
The audiophile world is filled with wired headphones that can bring the excitement of live music straight to your head. They can deliver the dynamics of the studio experience without having to worry about the acoustics of the room or… Read More »
Schiit Audio Modi 3e DAC Reviewed
The Modi 3e (buy at Amazon) is the latest update to Schiit Audio’s popular low-cost digital-to-analog converter line. The company calls this one a “do-all” DAC, because it accepts coaxial and optical digital inputs, but also Schiit’s own Unison USB… Read More »
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Enjoy Vinyl for What It Is
Some audiophiles read my articles and think I absolutely hate vinyl. I don’t at all. In fact, I have been thinking of adding a turntable to my ever-evolving living room music playback system. The issue with vinyl is that we… Read More »
Rega Planar 1 Turntable Reviewed
The vinyl resurgence has music lovers everywhere clamoring for that magical analog sound. Needless to say, though, that sound starts at the source. The better the source, the better the sound. And while it’s possible these days to spend six… Read More »
An Audiophile Wedding Gift For a 30-Year-Old Designed as a Real Good Entrée to the Hobby
Recently, my nephew and niece moved into a new home. As a housewarming gift, I decided to gift the millennial couple a new stereo system. I gave them their first system when they moved into their first home. It was… Read More »
The FutureAudiophile.com Mission Statement
The time has come for change in the audiophile world. That’s why I’m launching a new publication called FutureAudiophile.com to deal with the problems at hand. My goal is simple to articulate but apparently not easy to pull off. I… Read More »
SMSL DA-8S Integrated Amplifier Reviewed
Most affordable Bluetooth or powered speakers simply don’t provide the musical experience that gives you the goosebumps. There is a point for many music fans who are looking for a more visceral audio experience when they need to upgrade to… Read More »