Tag: sound quality
Astell & Kern KANN Is the Portable Player to Buy–Finally
Portable high resolution audio (HRA) players range in price from the Pono or the Questyle at under $600 to the flagship Astell & Kern at just under $5,000. Selecting the right player at the right price has been confusing to the point of creating consumer paralysis. The confusion is finally over. Buy the Astell & […]
June 12, 2017
The CD is Not Dead: Catalog of The First 100 Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs CDs
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 lost. In addition, the popularity of file formats change. In […]
May 31, 2016
Audiophiles Gather at AXPONA in Chicago
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, it is one of the more popular shows for audiophile […]
April 18, 2016
Synergistic Research Grounding Block
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 audio system has a lower noise floor than one where […]
April 11, 2016
More on Vibration control: Stillpoints, Symposium Acoustics, or Vibrapods
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 a while and they are seen frequently under components at […]
February 1, 2016
Gentle Giant’s Octopus in 5.1 Surround Sound
Steven Wilson has delivered a clean, very musical remix of this classic progressive rock album, which in a short time has become the “final word” on the album. There can be little doubt that this remix is far superior to anything that has been done before it and that in our lifetime the Steven Wilson […]
January 18, 2016
New Shunyata Power Cables Are Not Always Better
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 $3500, it was the reference cable most often used to […]
November 9, 2015
Recording Academy Establishes Hi-Res Audio Guidelines
The Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing recently announced the creation of a series of Hi-Res Audio Production Guidelines. The new guidelines are a key step to ensuring that real high-resolution music is produced and sold to the public. While the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing is most well known for producing The Grammys, […]
August 24, 2015
What Audio Cables Should I Upgrade?
There are almost as many choices for connecting cables and power cables as there are for components and speakers. Here are some thoughts about picking the right ones for your system. Let’s assume that you are currently using the stock cables that came with your components and you want to upgrade them gradually. The first […]
June 29, 2015
Koss 330 Headphones Deliver Great Sound at Low Price
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 that they are indeed so compact. Koss Corporation knows how […]
June 22, 2015