The OPPO 205 is the best CD/DVD/Blu Ray player on the market with a high-end DAC chip. Unfortunately, OPPO Digital is discontinuing its line of high-end Blu-ray players and headphones. The OPPO UDP-205 Ultra HD is an audiophile’s dream machine, having received numerous great reviews and
AXPONA continues to be the “go to” event for audiophiles. The largest high-end audio show in North America, was held April 13-15, at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center in Schaumburg, Illinois. Every year, the show has expanded due to demand, and 2018 was the largest AXPONA
After selecting the right speaker for your room and picking good components to deliver optimum sound quality there are still four often overlooked items—connecting cables–that can make a big improvement on the sound performance of a mid-level audio system. They are the power cords, analog
Don’t expect audiophile sound quality from the new Apple wireless earbuds, officially called AirPods. However, they are extremely comfortable and the technology behind the new earphones are impressive. When Apple announced that it was eliminating the headphone jack from its iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, there
AXPONA (Audio Expo North America), the high-end consumer audio show held last weekend at the Westin O’Hare in Rosemont, Il, is one of the best events of the year for audiophiles. While this is only one of about a dozen national high end audio shows,
Vibration control is a good area for a tweak because not all components absorb vibration efficiently. Rather than add to the cost of the component, manufactures often ether ignore vibration or deal with it as cost effectively as they can to keep the component in
Savant Systems has won many awards as a smart home operating system but it will never win an award in any audiophile sound publication. If you care at all about the quality of the sound coming from your audio system then do not use Savant
Unless an alien spacecraft lands secretly somewhere near Cupertino, California between now and the end of the year to give new technology to the computer industry, the Meridian Explorer DAC is this year’s miracle audio product. After you replace your earbuds with good headphones, the
PS Audio is a leader in AC power regeneration, making it a top choice among audiophiles. Earlier this year, the company released a new line of power regenerators designed to provide squeaky clean AC. Power Conditioners vs Power Regenerators There is a big difference between
The engineers at DJM Electronics did it again! The GigaFOILv4 inline filter for Ethernet noise dramatically improves upon the original GigaFOIL and delivers a lower noise floor for digital music transmitted through an ethernet cable that anyone, even the staunchest of anti-tweakers and the hearing
No cell phone has a Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) that is very good. To get any good sound out of a cell phone or an iPad you need a third-party DAC. The Chord Hugo 2, like the original Hugo and the Mojo is a
Audience recently announced three new AC power cords — the Au24 SX powerChord, Au24 SE-i power Chord, and powerChord SE-i. Incorporating its latest advancements in materials and engineering, Audience promises to again revolutionize high-performance audio systems. Audiophiles who understand the difference that power cords make in a high-end
Always count on PS Audio to do it first and do it better than anyone else. The DirectStream Memory Player allows the high resolution layer of an SACD to play back through a DAC. For audiophiles with the best DAC’s, the SACD is finally free
At some point they will run out of live King Crimson to remaster and re-issue, but for now there are still many performances to share and treasure. The newest deluxe box set, On (and off) the Road, features 19 discs and covers all of the
This fall, the “The Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the World” released a new box set. Rolling Stones in Mono contains 186 tracks, 56 of which fans have never been able to hear in mono since the dawn of the digital age. Many albums
People have started to figure out that the reason digital music does not sound as good as vinyl has less to do with the studio mix burned digitally as 1’s and 0’s, and more to do with the “timing” of the playback of those 1’s
In between re-mastering some of the greatest Progressive Rock albums of all time, Steven Wilson also managed to record two impressive albums of his own over the two years. In January, Wilson released “4 ½,” which followed 2015’s “Hand. Cannot. Erase.” Every audiophile is familiar
Anyone who has had to return to their CD collection and rip it for a second or third time knows that CD’s are not dead. Hard drives are not forever. When they age they will inevitably become corrupted and the information on them may be
Synergistic Research has become a market leader of innovative audiophile products. While teaks of all kinds find no shortage of skeptics, the Grounding Block from Synergistic Research is a tweak based on solid science and it works. It has always been known that a well-grounded
DJM electronics has made the first Ethernet noise filter that might be helpful for an audio signal. It is called the GigaFOILv3 Ethernet Filter and it is currently priced at $1,000. It is commonly accepted that EMI causes Noise in power cables. When that
One of the most popular vibration control tweaks, and probably the one that most audiophiles use in their systems is the Stillpoint Ultra SS. The Ultra’s are priced at about $300 each and you need at least three of them. Stillpoints have been around for
When it comes to high-end power cables, Shunyata is the king. So every time Shunyata replaces their top of the line cable with a new model, “attention must be paid.” In 2009, the King Cobra CX by Shunyata was their flagship power cable. Priced at
It is difficult to believe that ten metal cylinders half the size of a fingernail tacked to the walls of a large listening space could have any effect on the acoustics. Synergistic Research calls them HFT-2—and they work. So it wasn’t much of a stretch
The Koss 330 Headphones are the best small headphone available at any price. The Koss 330 Headphones are just under $100, these headphones are one of the best values in high end audio headphones. One listen will make you look in the mirror to verify
No review disputes that the PS Audio DirectStream DAC (DSD) is musical bliss. Some reviewers have called it the component of the year for 2014. Where reviewers get edgy on PS Audio is not about the fact that it so amazing but about the science
Billed as the “Definitive Edition CD,” Steve Wilson’s remaster of Close to the Edge,” by Yes is exactly that. It is perfection—the final version of a classic album. Many people who were listening to music in the 1970s own more than one copy of Close
The PS Audio DirectStream DAC (digital to analog converter) is a Stereophile Magazine product of the year for 2014. Many audiophiles who have compared it with other DAC’s have called it a “game changer.” For non-audiophiles, a DAC replaces the sound card in your computer
The VPI Nomad may do as much to bring music listeners back to vinyl as the iPod did to bring listeners to the MP3 digital download. The Nomad is VPI’s new entry level turntable. It includes an Ortofon needle, a built in phono pre-amp and
New York Audio Show was held on September 27, 28 and 29 at the Marriott Hotel in Brooklyn offering 45 rooms of new audio gear to eager audiophiles, industry experts and enthusiasts. Maybe because of the suitability of “small” products for “small” New York City
In his notes on the 2014 remix, Steve Wilson said, “I think that A Passion Play is a historically underrated work of art that deserves to be reevaluated.” Thanks to his remix in 5.1 Surround Sound to celebrate the album’s 40th anniversary, Jethro Tull’s masterpiece
Forty years after its initial release, the 5.1 Surround Sound Blue-ray audio re-master of The Who’s, Quadrophenia, may well be considered the definitive final version of this rock classic. After giving this disc a listen you will conclude that it is un-improvable. By the end
In addition to a standard definition of high resolution audio (HRA), in June, 2014, the music industry also agreed on standard labels they will use so music lovers can identify the source of the high resolution digital recording they are buying. As previously reported in
From records and reel-to-reel tapes to cassettes to eight-track tapes to CD’s to SACD and DVD-audio, the next generation of music delivery is digital. The standard for High Resolution Audio, the best quality digital sound available, has finally been set. After a long period of
I realized in the taxi to JFK en route to a 7 AM flight to Chicago to attend the AXPONA audio show that I had left my Bose QC3 noise cancelling headphones at home. After only one cup of coffee I had to endure the
At a show dominated by the excitement of High Resolution (HR) audio and the delivery systems that are becoming available to play it, VPI introduced a high quality but affordable consumer turntable which might be considered the first of its kind in the post CD
While there are still a few holdouts who say that power cords and analog connector cables don’t make a difference with sound or video quality, they are now a minority. However, the debate remains active about digital cables. Digital cable Naysayers point out that the
Conventional wisdom amongst audiophile beginners is that the biggest improvement you could make to the sound of your home stereo is with good speakers connected to an amplifier by even better connecting cables that could equal the price of the speakers. Testing this wisdom on
High end digital cable connectors probably provide the least noticeable improvement in sound quality, but to my surprise, there was a “subtle” (as defined in previous articles) difference. I tested the Audioquest Diamond USB mini to USB .75mm connection on my headphone mini system. The
From record album to tape player to CD and SACD or DVD audio, the future of recorded music is high definition and the future of music playback formats is the digital download. The leader in high definition music downloads is HD Tracks (www.hdtracks.com). For a
iTunes was great for small portable digital audio device playback, but if you want to hear digital music that has an analog warmth and quality then you need to download third party software from companies like Amarra for Mac and J.River for Windows. iTunes just
Throw away your earbuds! The single most important thing you can do to improve the quality of your digital sound is to buy a pair of good headphones. The variety of headphones to choose from in every price range is daunting to a first time
As the demand for portable digital music continues to outpace demand for other high fidelity options, many people are now looking to improve digital sound quality. There are twelve simple tweaks available to those who are tired of listening to poor quality iTunes downloads. It
While the death of the CD has been foretold for many years, the death of iTunes has not had as many predictions from the soothsayers. However, unless iTunes can add 24 bit/192kHz playback for high definition sound, offer a “lossless compressed” option in the iTunes
By Donald Scarinci: Many high end audiophile products such as amplifiers, speakers, headphones and even connection cords and power conditioners are sold with the advice that they will produce better sound when they are used. Many manufacturers recommend burn in for audio components before the
By Donald Scarinci: The second annual New York Audio show held at the NY Palace April 12-14 featured the biggest names in the audio and home theater market. New audiophile quality products were brought together for a hands on and ears on experience. Conference rooms