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Building Goodwill in the Audiophile Business Builds a Better Business
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 »
Bluesound Node Nano Streamer/DAC Reviewed
Under its parent company Lenbrook, the Bluesound Node streamer/DAC product line has been a frequent favorite on the pages of Future Audiophile.com, with solid audio performance, an industry-leading operating system with BluOS, its companion music app, and sometimes competitive pricing. I say… Read the Review »
Alta Audio Alyssa Speakers Reviewed
Alta Audio’s Alyssa stand-mount loudspeaker is a two-way design with a dynamic midrange/woofer and ribbon tweeter. At first blush, that sounds like a pretty typical setup for a stand-mount speaker. But there is so much more going on here: a… Read the Review »
SVS Ultra Evolution Nano Bookshelf Speakers Reviewed
SVS once again turned the audiophile and home theater worlds upside down in 2024 with the introduction of the Ultra Evolution line of speakers, which includes the Pinnacle ($5,000 per pair), Titan ($4,000 per pair), Tower ($3,000 per pair) and Ultra Bookshelf ($1,200 per pair).… Read the Review »
Is Your Audiophile System Properly Insured?
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 »
T+A elektroakustik R 2500 R Multisource Receiver Reviewed
When I initially received the latest component for review from German manufacturer T+A, I was both very intrigued and pleasantly surprised. Right out of the box, the T+A R 2500 R exuded an overall feeling of quality. It is aesthetically… Read the Review »
Pro-Ject Phono Box S3 B Phonostage Reviewed
In recent years, Pro-Ject have established themselves as one of the biggest players in the affordable vinyl space for audiophiles. Not only do they make high-quality turntables at varying reasonable price points, but they also have a range of phono… Read the Review »
How To Properly Budget For a Sweet-Sounding Audiophile System
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 »
HIFIMAN Edition XS Headphones Reviewed
HIFIMAN, founded in China in 2007 by Dr. Fang Bian, has made quite a splash among audiophiles since its establishment. The company’s signature development has been high-quality planar magnetic headphones, which provide an open, detailed sound. Like planar magnetic speakers,… Read the Review »
European Audio Team Fortissimo Turntable with F-Note Tonearm Reviewed
European Audio Team, better known by the acronym E.A.T., is spearheaded by Ms. Jozefina Lichtenegger (herself married to Pro-Ject executive Heinz Lichtenegger), and principally builds turntables, tonearms, a tube-type amplifier and four different tubed phono preamplifiers. E.A.T. also markets three… Read the Review »
Four Creative Ways to Make Your Audiophile System Better on the Cheap
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 »
Linear Tube Audio Aero Tube DAC Reviewed
Much like the FutureAudiophile.com crew, Linear Tube Audio’s team tends to attend the best regional audiophile shows all over the continent. Nicholas and his team are a fun-loving group of guys, and their audiophile-grade hotel room demos always sound notably… Read the Review »
How To Protect Your Audiophile Hearing When Jamming Out in the Car
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 »
Infigo Audio Method 7 Stereo Preamplifier Reviewed
Infigo Audio is an exciting new player in the red-hot world of uber-high-end audiophile electronics. The Canada-based company has a long history in the audiophile industry, and it is coming to market with a full suite of electronics and cables… Read the Review »
T+A elektroakustik PA 3100 HV Integrated Amplifier Reviewed
Herford, Germany’s high-performance audio manufacturer T+A predominately operates under one guiding principle – “the appliance of science.” In fact, the T+A corporate name is an acronym for what the company enthusiastically describes as “theory and application.” With a staff of… Read the Review »
WiiM Ultra Streamer DAC Reviewed
WiiM, part of Linkplay Technology, which started in 2014 with experience in streaming audio software and hardware to major audio companies like Harman, JBL, Yamaha, to name a few, has for a few years developed its product line of streaming… Read the Review »
Cambridge Audio Alva Duo Phono Preamplifier Reviewed
A phono preamplifier is a great and often inexpensive way to improve the sound of your vinyl. While many integrated amplifiers and preamplifiers include a phono stage, they often struggle to match the sound of separated components for many reasons, but I suspect the biggest reason… Read the Review »
Getting Quality Sleep Could Open Up the Audiophile Hobby to Younger, More Tech Savvy Customers
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 »
PSB Alpha iQ Streaming powered speakers with BluOS Reviewed
PSB is a high-quality, high-value audiophile loudspeaker manufacturer that recently celebrated its 50-year anniversary. Named after its founder, Paul Barton, PSB subscribes to the belief that speakers should look good, sound even better, and withstand the test of time. But… Read the Review »
Vincent Audio SA-T7 Preamplifier Reviewed
I have enjoyed tubed audiophile preamplifiers for decades, but had never spent any time with gear from Vincent Audio until just recently, when my publisher asked me if I would be interested in reviewing a tubed preamplifier from Vincent Audio. I quickly… Read the Review »
Cambridge Audio CXA81 MKII Integrated Amplifier Reviewed
Cambridge Audio is an audiophile electronics manufacturer with a lineage that dates back to the late 1960s. Cambridge Audio’s products today are as relevant as ever, including some really slick designs such as their sexy-as-hell, DeLorean-themed integrated amplifier. The Cambridge Audio… Read the Review »
Wharfedale Super Linton Heritage Loudspeaker Reviewed
British HiFi company Wharfedale has earned a strong reputation in the audiophile world since its inception in 1932, particularly for its innovation in loudspeaker design. Recently, the company has been revisiting some of its classic speaker designs, giving them modern… Read the Review »
The Component That Got Away: Audiophile Edition
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 »
Bose Yanks McIntosh Line From Magnolia Stores Nationwide
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 »
Infigo Audio Method 3 Mono Amplifiers Reviewed
Infigo Audio is a relatively new, very high-end audiophile electronics manufacturer based in British Columbia, Canada. Hans Looman is the founder and head designer of Infigo products. He has ties that run back to Resonessence Labs, which was an offshoot… Read the Review »
Acoustique Quality Canto 3 Loudspeakers Reviewed
Acoustique Quality is an Eastern European loudspeaker manufacturer known for its wide range of speakers, from the trapezoidal $1,200 Acoustique Quality Labrador 39 Bookshelf Speakers (read my review), to the hyper-futuristic flagship Passion Loudspeakers, priced at $22,000 per pair. While not yet a… Read the Review »
Let’s Stop Making Other Audiophiles Feel Insecure About Their Stereo System
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 »
Pro-Ject XA B Turntable Reviewed
Few audiophile companies are as prolific today with the building of turntables as Pro-Ject. On their website, they list a staggering 13 different lines of turntables. That isn’t 13 different turntables – it’s 13 different product categories for the brand. This turntable… Read the Review »
McIntosh MC1.25KW Mono Amplifier (75th Anniversary Edition) Reviewed
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, and perhaps for five plus years before, there has been an unforeseen rise in the availability of uber-high-end audiophile equipment. By this, I mean really big, really powerful, really exotic and really expensive components, often costing… Read the Review »
McIntosh C2800 Tube Preamplifier/DAC Reviewed
Not many of us saw Bose buying McIntosh and Sonus faber (read about it here), but that recently happened, with the pundits saying it was a way for Bose to get further into the automotive space. That’s all well and good, but… Read the Review »
Six TV Shows Audiophiles Should Start Streaming in HD Right Now
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 »
SPL Performer s900 Stereo Amplifier Reviewed
SPL is a German designer and manufacturer of professional recording and consumer high-end audio electronics, which caught the eye of our editor, Jerry Del Colliano, in his reviews of the SPLPerformer s1200 (read it here) stereo amplifier and Director MKII DAC/Preamp. Based in Niederkrüchten, Germany,… Read the Review »
Schiit Saga 2 Stereo Preamplifier Reviewed
Schiit Audio has long been a value leader in the world of audiophile equipment, known for offering high-quality gear at very approachable price points. Founded in 2010 by Jason Stoddard and Mike Moffat, the company quickly carved out a niche… Read the Review »
How Audiophiles Can Easily Become Even Better Listeners
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 »
Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3 Signature Speakers Reviewed
It is not every day, or even every year, that Bowers & Wilkins launches a new Signature line. I remember going into audio stores in the early 1990s and seeing the unique-looking Silver Signature speakers, with their crossed silver bars… Read the Review »
How To Make Your Living Situation Fit Your Audiophile System
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 »
JansZen Valentina P8 Hybrid Electrostatic Loudspeaker Reviewed
In the 10 years since I designed our basement audio room, the space has seen numerous components come and go, including stereo preamps, audiophile power amps, music streamers, DACs, equalizers, and subwoofers. What came and didn’t go is a pair… Read the Review »
HiFi Rose RS130 Music Streamer Reviewed
HiFi Rose, a newer company in the high-end audio community but with 50 years of experience in touchscreen interfaces, has quickly become a leader in digital music players, and Class-D GaN FET amplifier design. HiFi Rose uses the term “network transport” when referring… Read the Review »
NAD M10 V3 Master Series Integrated Amp Reviewed
No one brand has impacted more audiophiles in their early years than NAD. For my fourteenth birthday, my Dad generously bought me a Nakamichi Music Bank CD changer, a pretty sweet NAD receiver, a pair of Polk floorstanding speakers, and some classic… Read the Review »