@Featured
Schiit Loki Max Six-Band Equalizer Reviewed
The Schiit Loki Max equalizer is a unique item in today’s audio market: an analog broadband EQ with excellent sonics that can complement even very revealing audio systems. Schiit’s most expensive equalizer at $1,499, the Loki Max offers two selectable stereo inputs (one single-ended… Read More »
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ELAC Debut Reference DBR62 Bookshelf Speakers Reviewed
When it comes to audio equipment, the name ELAC has become synonymous with excellence and innovation. With a rich history dating back to 1926, ELAC has consistently pushed the boundaries of audio engineering, delivering top-notch components that captivate audiophiles worldwide. A key… Read More »
Can You Build an Audiophile System for $500?
Community is a big aspect of being an audiophile. Like cliques in a made-for-TV high-school drama, audiophiles love to find like-minded music lovers that believe in a common ideology. That clique then follows the path to what they feel is… Read More »
Rekkord F300 Turntable Reviewed
Rekkord Audio is a company I wasn’t familiar with until I recently launched into a series of affordable record player reviews, but I have since learned that they’ve been in the turntable business for half a century and have a… Read More »
The Solution to Audiophile Inflation Is a Small But Powerful Two-Letter Word
Anybody tired of inflation yet? I sure as hell am, and I bet you are, too. I refinanced my home-equity loan to help get FutureAudiophile.com funded and off the ground. Less than a year later, the cost of the interest… Read More »
Music Hall CD25.3 CD Player Reviewed
Music Hall recently released its latest audiophile Compact Disc player, the CD25.3, a no-nonsense source component that is very competitively priced for an audiophile-grade disc spinner at $649. Music Hall is well-known for its high-value offerings in the audiophile world, ranging… Read More »
Stax SR-009S Electrostatic Earspeaker Review
The Stax brand has been synonymous with electrostatic headphones – aka earspeakers – since the early 1960s. Back then, they didn’t have much competition. Later, Shure and Koss produced electrostatic models but they were aimed at a more entry-level than… Read More »
Mobile Fidelity SourcePoint 8 Loudspeaker Review
By now, unless you’ve been in a cave for the past six months, you’ve very likely read about Mobile Fidelity’s SourcePoint 10 loudspeaker ($3,999 MSRP). It is, by all accounts, a kick-ass plus-sized-bookshelf loudspeaker. But its size has implications. While suitable for… Read More »
How Audiophile Retailers Can Up Their Customer Service Game to Gain More Clients and Loyalty
A close friend of mine is a big-time wealth manager and former executive at Goldman Sachs. While not normally prone to conspiracy theories, he has strong beliefs that retail, as we’ve known it, is dead. When pressed, he points to… Read More »
Pass Labs XP-12 Preamplifier Reviewed
While Pass Labs bares founder and chief designer Nelson Pass’ name, his business partner, Wayne Colburn, is responsible for the company’s elaborate line-level preamplifier designs. First, let’s clarify the terminology: this type of component is often called a preamplifier, line stage, line stage… Read More »
Luxman PD-151 Mark II Turntable Reviewed
Luxman Corporation has a solid reputation for very high build quality, and while not necessarily or even exclusively budget oriented, their products are not out-of-reach expensive. Such is the case with the recently released Luxman PD-151 Mark II turntable. As with… Read More »
PSB M4U8 MKII Wireless ANC Headphones
PSB is a highly regarded brand of speakers distributed by Lenbrook, who also handle Bluedound and NAD. For a few years now, PSB has also been making some premium headphones that have been well received, the latest of which is… Read More »
Orb Audio Mod2 Speaker Review
For as long as I can remember, the audiophile world has been awash with uninspired, shoebox-like speakers with IKEA-grade finishes, especially for those on a budget. Orb Audio, a self-described affordable luxury speaker brand, set out to change the notion that… Read More »
How Green Is the PVC Used To Make Today’s Vinyl LPs?
Powered by tremendous enthusiasm from often younger generations, much greater scrutiny is being paid these days to the environment and the impact we have on it. We are moving towards the goal of reducing our carbon footprint. We are looking… Read More »
Benchmark DAC3 HGC DAC Reviewed
The Benchmark DAC3 HGC (buy at Amazon) is one flavor of many in their DAC 3 line-up. The HGC model is a full-featured, mature DAC rocking the latest and greatest ESS ES9028PRO chipset. At 37 years strong, Benchmark has been making studio-grade electronics… Read More »
Andover Audio SpinDeck 2 Turntable Reviewed
The Andover SpinDeck 2 (buy at Amazon) is a belt-drive turntable that uses a jazzy AT-3600 phono cartridge from Audio-Technica. With a price tag of just $299, this product is aimed at entry-level listeners, and Andover has added some thoughtful features that will… Read More »
What The Hell Is a GaN (Gallium Nitride) Amp and Why Is It Changing the Way Audiophiles Now See Power Amps?
There are a lot of things the audiophile world does well. For decades, we presented the coolest new tech at the Consumer Electronics Show. More importantly, the audiophile hobby allows us to bring music into our lives in ways that is often… Read More »
HIFIMAN HE-R9 Closed-Back Dynamic Over-Ear Headphones Reviewed
The HIFIMAN HE-R9 is a wired, closed-back headphone from a company primarily known for its open-back offering. It’s a somewhat entry-level pair priced at at $369with a 3.5 mm TRS connection, along with a 6.35mm adaptor so you can plug… Read More »
Bowers & Wilkins Demos New Signature Series Speakers for Audiophile Press in San Diego
One of my favorite places on Earth is the North County region of San Diego. Sound United (right before they got bought by medical technology company Masimo for a cool $1,000,000,000) moved to a sleepy little cul-de-sac in Carlsbad, with… Read More »
Amped America AMP 2400 Amplifier Reviewed
From my latest experiences, it is high time we stop discounting Class D amplification as a serious high-fidelity option. Like the screaming metal-dome tweeters used in loudspeakers from the 1980s era that have been turned into refined resolution machines by technological… Read More »
Playing Obscure Demo Music Doesn’t Help Effectively Sell Audiophile Gear
Right now, I’m on a crappy flight in United (seat 1E on a crappy old Trump-Shuttle-era 757) en route home from a very well-attended and produced AXPONA 2023 audiophile show. Props the the AXPONA people, who put a lot of thought into the… Read More »
PS Audio DirectStream DAC MK2 Review
About eight years ago, PS Audio introduced the PerfectWave DirectStream DAC to quite a bit of audiophile fanfare. It immediately garnered significant acclaim and was praised for its sonic capabilities relative to its price. Introduced late in 2022 (but not… Read More »
Four Crazy Retail Stories Remind Us Why Hi-Fi Is So Much Fun
When Mark Knopfler famously sang about “money for nothing and chicks for free,” he might have over-exaggerated the glamor of working in consumer electronics, but not by that much. Never have I had so much fun going to work in… Read More »
PS Audio Stellar S300 Stereo Amplifier Reviewed
The Stellar S300 stereo amplifier is PS Audio’s entry-level two-channel amplifier (buy at Amazon) targeted at those thinking of upgrading from a receiver or integrated to quality separates. Make no mistake, though: entry-level or not, this is a serious amplifier. … Read More »

