@Featured

This is FutureAudiophile.com’s Featured Review page

The Formation speakers from Bowers & Wilkins still harken back to the time when Eva owned the speaker company - even to this day.

Featured @Featured

How a Silicon Valley Icon Once Bought the B&W Brand to Make It Into a 4K Video Sonos Competitor

There are a lot of back stories that don’t get told in the audiophile press for mainstream consumers. Often, these stories are pretty incredible. The back story of how Krell was almost sold is a recent one that ended in… Read the Review »



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Gear We Love 2024 Award Winners

FutureAudiophile.com 2024 Gear of the Year Awards 

It is awards time again. FutureAudiophile.com has been cranking out more, highly sought-after audiophile component reviews than any other online publication, print magazine, “influencer” or YouTube “expert.” You’ve told us you want lots of reviews of the absolute best gear… Read the Review »


IsoTek Sigma $4,995 Audiophile Power Conditioner - a few from the rear...

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 the Review »


Ethernet cables can be directional in the audiophile world and also designed to reduce digital noise that is on most Internet networks. A real-world problem.

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 the Review »


Piega ACE 30 powered loudspeakers as photographed by Eric Forst

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 the Review »


Car buffs will love the Lamborghini Fly Yellow coloring of this exotic tube power amp.

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 the Review »


The attention to detail in the industrial design of HIFI ROSE products is hard to match anywhere near its price.

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 the Review »


A close-up of some top McIntosh electronics at the NYC House of Sound Experience Center.

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 the Review »


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 the Review »


A home theater packing serious audiophile equipment as well as RPG room treatments behind the fabric wall.

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 the Review »


PS Audio BHK 600 monos actually use tubes? Believe it..

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 the Review »


Estelon AURA Speakers in a gorgeous dark blue finish

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 the Review »


Thousands of watts of power installed the way that people who have the money to actually buy such audio gear would want to display them. Bravo!

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 the Review »


T+A's A200 class-D power amp in silver

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 the Review »


The Alta Audio Alex photographed by Lee Shelly

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 the Review »


Rotel's Michi Preamp at $4,500 is right in the mid-market position and a strong performer for the price.

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 the Review »


This guy is chillin' like a villain at THE Show listening to some ATC speakers.

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 the Review »


Rockport Avior II speakers in gloss black

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 the Review »


Kanto TUK powered speaker installed in Eric Forst's living room.

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 the Review »


The legendary blue-ish green light is on display in a unique way on the McIntosh MT5 turntable.

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 the Review »


Read our tips on saving money for audiophiles (version 2) before you type your credit card into the Internet for your next upgrade/purchase

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 the Review »


The Boulder 508 is a slim but powerful audiophile phonostage.

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 the Review »


The The MartinLogan XTB100 speakers with the grills off.

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 the Review »


Is that Pete Townsend? I don't think so but The Who guitarists has significant hearing loss reportedly.

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 the Review »


The Cambridge Audio CNX100 is a slick looking music streamer/DAC that is getting a lot of organic hype on the forums and Reddit.

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 the Review »


Anthem STR Integrated Amp installed

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 the Review »


An audiophile equipment rack destroyed in the robbery

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 the Review »


The Pass Labs INT-250 at Jerry Del Colliano's House

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 the Review »


McIntosh's MDA200 DAC brings a retro look to a converter with ESS DAC under the hood.

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 the Review »


KEF speakers at a local Los Angeles AV retailer.

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 the Review »


The Benchmark AHB2 stereo amp in silver has both pro audio as well as audiophile consumer appeal.

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 the Review »


Pass Labs X250.8 (photo by Lee Shelly)

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 the Review »


The Lumin D3 Audiophile DAC/Streamer

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 the Review »


HRS makes some of the best, higher end racks in the audiophile world.

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 the Review »


Cambridge Audio EVO 150 DeLorean Edition Integrated amp is a jaw-droopingly gorgeous bit of industrial design that also sounds FANTASTIC.

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 the Review »


Here's the store closing sale from Andy Singer's retail store. Up to 50% off is a great deal (while inventory lasts)

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 the Review »


The SPL Director MK2 stereo preamp and DAC is the latest affordable, high performance component from this studio-grade manufacturer

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 the Review »


SPL s1200 power amp in red with its silver, magnetic front faceplate. Very cool looking.

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 the Review »


New Totems

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 the Review »


SVS Prime Elevation Speakers in white which unexpectedly sold out in weeks. (more are coming)

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 the Review »


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