@Featured
Exactly How Your Standard 20 Percent Discount Is Likely Putting Your Local Dealer Out of Business
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 »
More @Featured
MoFi Masterphono Phonostage Reviewed
Founded in 1977, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, better known today as MoFi, has been a leader in producing high quality, remastered, specially plated and pressed versions of previously released LPs. In the late 1980s, they added uniquely remastered Compact Discs… Read More »
RBH 61-SF Bookshelf Speakers Reviewed
RBH’s latest offering, the 61-SF from their Signature Series of audiophile products, sets a compelling standard in the realm of bookshelf speakers. At a glance, this smaller audiophile speaker boasts an unassuming yet sleek design, but it is what lies… Read More »
Limited Edition Gear Will Bring Urgency and Collectability to the Audiophile Hobby
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 »
Totem Bison Tower Floorstanding Speakers Reviewed
The market for floorstanding audiophile speakers in the $2,000 dollar range is incredibly diverse, and quite competitive. You can find a pair of speakers in nearly any color, as well as many different shapes and sizes, at this price range.… Read More »
The Next Generation of Audiophiles Are Spending Big Bucks (and Time) Gaming
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… Read More »
MartinLogan Motion Foundation F2 Floorstanding Speakers Reviewed
$2,000 for a pair of speakers might be the most competitive price point in all of the audiophile market. $400 wireless Bluetooth headphones can give this two-grand speaker category a run for the money for a brutally competitive audiophile market,… Read More »
Adcom GFP-915 Stereo Preamplifier Reviewed
I recently had the opportunity to review Adcom’s latest update on the Nelson Pass-designed Class-AB $1,395 GFA-555ms power amplifier, and walked away quite impressed by its combination of ample and clean power, retro appeal and astonishing value. As is the story with… Read More »
NHL and Gibson Guitars Teach Audiophiles That Finding Younger Enthusiasts Is Possible Today
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 »
Jay’s Audio CDT3 MK3 Compact Disc Transport Reviewed
Streaming music is all the rage for audiophile of all ages and at any level of progress in the hobby. Vinyl has had an unlikely comeback with today’s youth, perhaps as an anti-technology statement to their often-too-connected or too-much-blue-light world… Read More »
Edifier STAX Spirit S3 Wireless Headphones Reviewed
STAX is one of the longest-standing, most trusted headphone brands in the audiophile world. Their amazingly open-sounding, often tube-powered, electrostatic headphones are not just high-performance, but today are actually collectable. The highest end of the STAX lineup is the SR-009S, … Read More »
Do You Have to Spend a Fortune in order to Own a Truly Serious Audiophile System?
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 »
Bowers & Wilkins 805 D4 Loudspeakers Reviewed
The Bowers & Wilkins 805 D4 is the latest version of the British audiophile speaker company’s top-of-the-line stand mounted, two-way, front-ported loudspeaker, priced at $8,500 per pair. Two-way stand mount monitors have an audiophile fanbase since they benefit from diminutive and… Read More »
Peachtree Audio GaN 1 Gallium Nitride Power Amp Reviewed
I have been fortunate enough to experience GaN amplification since it first dropped into the audiophile world about five years ago. I have even replaced a trusty Parasound A21+ amplifier) that was in my audiophile gear collection for over a… Read More »
What To Do With Your Audiophile Boxes (Revisited)
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 »
FIIO R7 Stereo Preamplifier Reviewed
Let’s start with the fact that FIIO is a Chinese company. I’m not sure I’m ready to call the R7 Chi-Fi,however. I’m not sure we have an Oxford definition of the term Chi-Fi, but to me that term is more… Read More »
Edifier S1000W Powered Speakers Reviewed
In a perfect world, we would all have a workspace that is perfectly positioned in front of our best small audiophile loudspeakers. In the real world, we tend to be tethered to our devices, our laptop or, in my case,… Read More »
How to Get the Most Out of an Audiophile Demo
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 »
Pass Labs XP-22 Stereo Preamp Reviewed
Nelson Pass’ name is on the front door of Pass Labs and for good reason. He is very possibly the most important amplifier designer to walk the Earth. Here’s something that not every audiophile knows but is true, though: Nelson… Read More »
PSB Speakers Synchrony T800 Loudspeakers Reviewed
Back in the early 1990s, the PSB Speakers Stratus Goldi earned its place as one of my favorite loudspeakers of all time. Even today, these legacy loudspeakers represent some strong, music-first engineering that sets a meaningful bar for what a… Read More »
Today’s Disruptive Class-D Amps Are Changing the Audiophile Hobby Very Much For The Better
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. These amps are designed around any number of somewhat modern semiconductors and offer… Read More »
Tekton Design Lore Reference Speaker Reviewed
Tekton Design is no longer merely known as the other speaker company from Utah. Today, the company is its own unique phenomenon from the world of audiophile loudspeakers, as head speaker designer and company owner Eric Alexander has found a… Read More »
STAX To Introduce the SRM-D10 II Portable Headphone Amp for Just Under $1,000
STAX just introduced the SRM-D10 II portable 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 is… Read More »
Buckeye Amps Hypex NCx500 Stereo Amplifier Reviewed
If you’re not a modern-day oligarch, times may seem uncertain, money a little tight. But if you’re also an audiophile, you still have your system hopes and aspirations. Your dream might be to own an audiophile power amp that will make your ears quite… Read More »