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Featured @Featured

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 the Review »



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The Pass Labs XP-22 is the two-chassis stereo preamp priced at $9,999

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 the Review »


PSB T800 reference audiophile loudspeakers matched with NAD Master Series electronics

PSB Speakers Synchrony T800 Loudspeakers Reviewed

Back in the early 1990s, the PSB Speakers Stratus Gold 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 the Review »


The Tekton Design Lore Reference in a Bugatti-like blue finish

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 the Review »


Orchard Audio's Gallium Nitride (GaN) power amp reviewed

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 (learn more here). These amps are designed around any number of somewhat modern… Read the Review »


STAX's new headphone amp

STAX To Introduce the SRM-D10 II Portable Headphone Amp for Just Under $1,000

STAX just introduced the SRM-D10 II portable headphone 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… Read the Review »


Buckeye Amps Hypex NCx500 Stereo Amplifier Reviewed

Buckeye Amps Hypex NCx500 Stereo Amplifier Reviewed

If you’re not a modern-day oligarch audio, 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… Read the Review »


They say if you want to be a millionaire in the wine business that you should start with 20m. The same is said about the speaker business!

Secret Designers Often Offer Great Audiophile Value Products

The audiophile hobby has always been a bit of a cult of personality, based around mostly male, Baby Boomer engineer types, whose main purpose in life is to find the highest possible quality music playback performance from any and all… Read the Review »


Adcom GFA-555ms is the latest version of the legendary Nelson Pass designed amp priced at $1,395 today

Adcom GFA-555ms Power Amplifier Reviewed

Adcom was once one of the most dangerous audiophile creatures on the planet back when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth—when sporting a Sony Walkman was quite stylish. This era predates my audiophile journey by about a decade, but I have… Read the Review »


The NAD M33 is a Master Series product and capable of more audiophile feats than most other components in the market today be it DAC, Preamp, power amp, room correction and more

NAD M33 Integrated Amplifier Reviewed

The NAD M33 (buy at Crutchfield) is so much more than an integrated amplifier that it’s a shame that we have it listed in our audiophile amplifier category. Unfortunately, we don’t have a Swiss Army Knife of Audio Components category… Read the Review »


Boulder's 1110 stereo preamp stacked with the Boulder 1160 stereo power amp

Boulder 1110 Preamplifier Reviewed

It has become a somewhat common trend to try and eliminate a stereo preamp, particularly in digital-only systems. Connecting an amplifier directly to an audiophile DAC, to some, saves money on component costs, cable costs, and, theoretically, provides a shorter… Read the Review »


You just need one winning Powerball ticket to have anything you want from the audiophile world

What Would Your Audio System Look Like After You Won Powerball?

Accepting that you are repeated loser can be a tough pill to swallow when you have any modicum success in your professional life, but this is where I stand today. The reason for my malaise is that, no matter how… Read the Review »


NAD M33 Master Series integrated amp is a good example of a modern, all-in-one solution.

What’s Better: Separate Audiophile Gear or All-in-One Integrated Components?

In the very early days of musical playback, as far back as the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, most music devotees bought a console audio system. These units were the ultimate all-in-one. A single, large cabinet housed the stereo power… Read the Review »


Classe Delta PRE Stereo Preamp reviewed

Classé Delta PRE Stereo Preamp Reviewed

Classé is one of the most respected electronics brands in the audiophile world, but the last handful of years have been a bit tumultuous for the company. They’ve been spun-off, sold, and re-sold. Their current owners are thankfully Masimo Consumer,… Read the Review »


REL T/7x Subwoofer reviewed

REL Acoustics T/7x Subwoofer Reviewed

REL Acoustics is a well-known subwoofer manufacturer with fourteen different models across five lines. Unlike many hi-fi companies, REL only makes subs, with a focus on how a sophisticated subwoofer design can extend the capabilities of even the most exotic… Read the Review »


The Bricasti M1 Series II DAC has a long history of meaningful yet affordable upgrades

Bricasti Design M1 Series II DAC Reviewed

The $12,000 Bricasti Design M1 has been beating oligarch audio-level DACs exceeding $50,000 in performance since 2010. It has won numerous awards over its tenure and made it into the engineering studios of world-famous music halls and countess audiophile systems at the… Read the Review »


Used vinyl is being sold at over $100 per LP at this L.A. food event that caters to young, tech savvy enthusiasts

L.A.’s Thriving Food Scene Brings Young People Together (and They Love Vinyl)

My wife and I recently realized that during our COVID-era lockdown, we inadvertently got away from many of the things that we really enjoyed doing. But for now, we are back out and enjoying life and trying to restore some… Read the Review »


MartinLogan XT F100 speakers in a wood finish

MartinLogan Motion XT F100 Loudspeakers Reviewed

When most people think of MartinLogan, the first thing that likely comes to mind is the company’s famous electrostatic speakers like the CLS or the more modern MartinLogan ElectroMotion ESL floorstanding speakers or any number of hybrid electrostatic speakers with… Read the Review »


2023 FutureAudiophile.com Gear of The Year Awards

FutureAudiophile.com 2023 Gear of the Year Awards 

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been doing FutureAudiophile.com for a whole year now, but since our late-2022 launch, we’ve reviewed over 150 audiophile components ranging from very high end to sub-$200 Chi-Fi integrated amps and seemingly everything in-between. Getting back in the… Read the Review »


My wife is becoming an unexpected audiophile so I feel compelled to get her a Dark Side of the Moon T-Shirt for Christmas

Why I’m Buying My Wife a Dark Side of the Moon T-Shirt for Christmas 

Sitting in our living room with the inward-facing French doors open to let the cool evening ocean breeze waft in, I cued up my audiophile system for some chill, trip-hop, loungy/electronic jams as my wife and I had a rare… Read the Review »


The Boulder 1160 is one of the lower end amps in their lineup priced at $36000

Boulder Amplifiers 1160 Stereo Amp Reviewed

Nestled slightly south east of Boulder, Colorado, is a high-end audio company whose name is synonymous with world-class, high-performance gear: Boulder Amplifiers. In fact, Boulder is generally considered by many savvy audiophiles as one of the best overall electronics brands available… Read the Review »


Magnepan Speakers are a bi-polar planar design

Audiophile Lingo You Need to Know Part 3: Different Types of Speakers

Loudspeakers are somewhat of a marvel. Where electronic components are designed to efficiently move electrical signals from one place to the next, speakers have the unique job of converting those signals to the mechanical vibrations we perceive as music. Without… Read the Review »


Laufer Teknic's The Note Speaker is one of the most visually dramatic on the market today with its tall-thin, multi-driver design

Laufer Teknik The Note Line Array Loudspeaker System Reviewed

Quantum physicist and well-known audio engineer Mark Porzilli, someone who has been designing award-winning audio products for decades, has, since 2019, been updating and perfecting his third and latest line array loudspeaker system: The Note. Manufactured by Laufer Teknik, The… Read the Review »


Here is the AGD Productions Alto stereo preamp stacked on top of the no-heat, Class-A-sounding, matching Tempo GaN power amp

AGD Productions Alto Stereo Preamplifier Reviewed

It is no secret that we at Future Audiophile are fans of GaN technology and have a great deal of respect for AGD Productions for getting on the bleeding edge of this technology. I was so thrilled by AGD Productions… Read the Review »


Nothing says "expensive audio" like Mark Levinson's Cello gear from the 1990s

Why It’s Still Important to Review Really Expensive Audiophile Gear

Longtime audiophile reviewer Steven Stone was being shy in a recent phone conversation. As far as I can tell, he coined the phrase oligarch audio which describes audiophile components that are priced north of $100,000. By anyone’s measure, that is… Read the Review »


AMPED America AAP-1 stereo dream installed in an audiophile listening in Pennsylvania

Amped America AAP-1 Stereo Preamplifier Reviewed

We’ve been pretty psyched here at Future Audiophile about Amped America’s presence on the audiophile astral plain. What’s not to love? The company’s affordable Class D amplifiers like the AMP 2400 utilize the same core technologies as amplifiers costing six times… Read the Review »


NAD C 3050 is a retro-looking but forward thinking integrated amp with every cool feature we could hope for at a very fair retail price

NAD C 3050 Integrated Amplifier Reviewed

The 3050 may be NAD’s newest audiophile integrated amplifier, but it takes little more than a casual glance to see that it’s been inspired by some of their most meaningful legacy products – ones that helped guide the first steps… Read the Review »


Where to get something like a vintage McIntosh amplifier repaired?

How To Get Out-of-Warranty Audiophile Electronics Repaired

After my article about three recent in-warranty repairs, my publisher, Jerry Del Colliano, asked me to write about out-of-warranty audiophile repairs. Those are the ones that you can expect to have to pay for. Basically, there are three out-of-warranty repair… Read the Review »


RBH's thin get powerful 6500-SF speakers installed in Eric Forst's reference listening room

RBH 6500-SF Floorstanding Loudspeaker Reviewed

RBH Sound knows a thing or two about speaker design. The Utah-based company has been doing it since the mid-1970s, producing OEM speakers for major players such as McIntosh and JBL before pivoting to focus on their own in-house speaker… Read the Review »


Magnepan LRS+ dipole loudspeakers have caught a lot of recent attention in the audiophile community

Magnepan LRS+ Loudspeakers Reviewed

Magnepan’s LRS+ ($995 per pair) is a somewhat modestly sized planar speaker that operates as a dipolar design, meaning the room contributes to the sound of the speakers more than you’d expect with a typical pair of dynamic speakers. They’re… Read the Review »


The Orchard Audio Starkrimson Ultra 2.0 Gallium Nitride amp is the latest new player in the GaN amp game

Orchard Audio Starkrimson Ultra 2.0 GaN Amplifier Reviewed

Few industries have a wider range in terms of the sizes of companies creating products for public consumption than does the audiophile market. Some companies, such as Harman and Sony, are multi-billion-dollar conglomerates. Others, such as like Orchard Audio, are… Read the Review »


Wilson Audio WATT PUPPY speakers installed in Jerry Del Colliano's Brentwood, California screening room complete with RPG acoustical treatments and a neatly installed fabric wall

Reducing Background Noise Can Get You Big Audiophile Gains 

A few years before COVID, I walked into a listening room at a CEDIA show in Denver for an audition of Wisdom Audio’s latest powered and room-corrected speakers. Calling it a room is a stretch, mind you, as these demo spaces are easily assembled… Read the Review »


Kanto ORA powered speakers in an audiophile desktop setup

Kanto ORA Desktop Powered Loudspeakers Reviewed 

The Kanto ORA Two-Way Active Wireless Reference Desktop Speakers by Kanto Living offer a refreshing blend of audiophile performance and versatility. Immediately, I was drawn to these speakers and their ability to produce clear and vibrant sound, which seems uniquely… Read the Review »


Marantz SACD 30N disc player reviewed

Marantz SACD 30n CD/SACD Player Reviewed

The Marantz SACD 30n SACD player (buy at Crutchfield), like the recently reviewed Model 30 integrated amplifier, has a blend of old-school features and design with modern technology. Marantz calls the SACD 30n a complete digital source player, and while it does not handle… Read the Review »


How to prevent audiophile hearing loss from a professional's perspective

How Should Audiophiles Think About Hearing Loss as They Age?

The human ear is quite an amazing piece of audio gear. It’s an intricate yet vast system of tiny, superbly-tuned components working in sync to convert mechanical energy into what we interpret as sound. Most people, audiophiles included, will go… Read the Review »


Spin-Clean Record Cleaning Kit with all of its fluids

Spin-Clean Record Washer Deluxe Kit Reviewed

In a world where digital streaming dominates the music landscape, there’s a certain charm and nostalgia that comes with spinning vinyl records. For audiophiles and music enthusiasts alike, the warm tones and nostalgic sound of vinyl offer a unique and… Read the Review »


Pass Labs XA25 Class-A amp is an entry level but ultra-high-end audiophile performer.

Pass Labs XA-25 Audiophile Power Amplifier Reviewed

How many people back in the day really knew how special a car designed by Enzo Ferrari was? Today, years after his death, an Enzo-era design from Modena is almost always more than a million-dollar investment. When it comes to… Read the Review »


Tekton Design Matrix Monitors reviewed

Tekton Design Matrix Monitor Loudspeakers Reviewed

Tekton Design is well known as a disruptive force in the world of audiophile speakers, what with their mix of distinctive design, high value, dramatic dynamics, and even exotic, custom paint jobs. The one thing missing in their very extensive… Read the Review »


All about audiophile warranty repairs

Are Warranty Repairs Even Worth It Anymore?

One of the ugly truths of consumer electronics is that stuff breaks. When we’re lucky, a malfunction occurs while the product is still under warranty. But what do those warranties actually cover, practically speaking? The following stories draw from my… Read the Review »


Marantz Model 30 Integrated amp reviewed

Marantz Model 30 Integrated Amplifier Reviewed

Marantz’s Model 30 integrated amplifier ($2,999 buy at Crutchfield) has a blend of old-school features and design with modern technology, but perhaps not in the way most audiophiles might anticipate. The Model 30 has a classic, old-school interface and feel,… Read the Review »


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