Call me an audio snob, but I never thought Crosley turntables were in the same league as Audio Technica, Music Hall, Pro-Ject, Rega or U Turn turntables. Crosley’s seemed to come from a different, less audiophile oriented mindset, so when I heard they were getting serious about competing in that market I was curious. I …

We have an ear on each side of our head for a reason, so we can hear sounds from 360 degrees all around us. With two eyes we can only see what’s in front of us — we have to turn to look in other directions — but without turning, our two ears can easily locate birds high up in …

The BorderPatrol Digital to Analogue Converter’s lovely sound may not be accurate, but that’s why I like it. As you can see from the picture, there’s a vacuum tube lurking in there, but the tube doesn’t amplify the signal — it’s used in the BorderPatrol’s power supply. Most of the BorderPatrol’s chassis is made of copper, which you rarely see …

I own an iPhone 6S, and when the 7 arrived last September I wasn’t the least bit tempted to upgrade. Sure, it was skinnier, had a better camera, and was water resistant, but what the 7 didn’t have was a deal breaker for me: a 3.5mm headphone jack! My iPhone 6S has one and a Lightning port, so if I …

I confess, I rarely go to live concerts for a variety of reasons, starting with the sound that’s almost always much too loud. Or sometimes too low, or it’s too crowded, too hot, too cold, the guy next to me smells bad, or he’s snoring, coughing, or sneezing through the concert. Oh, and ticket prices are insane. Enlarge Image Chris …

I wasn’t planning on reviewing the NAD C 338 stereo amplifier, but when it showed up at the CNET office I couldn’t resist trying it out. As I listened to music and movies, the combo of this little amp paired with a decent pair of speakers sounded better than most sound bars!  Enlarge Image NAD C 338 amplifier NAD I …

One of my audiophile pals tipped me off to the Little Labs Monotor, and I’m glad he did! Little Labs is a pro sound company, but there’s no reason why audiophiles wouldn’t find a lot to like about their Monotor headphone amp. It’s made in the US and lists for $600, but street price is $540, (£500, AU$899). Enlarge Image …

I make no bones about it, I love the Beatles, from “Meet the Beatles” to “Abbey Road” — every album is extraordinary. I’m hardly alone in my praise. Every fan has their own story arc and mine is deep and long. Speaking of long, the Beatles iconic “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album is now celebrating its 50th anniversary …

One of my audiophile pals calls and the first thing he says is, “What do you enjoy more, analog or digital music?” I quickly answered, “analog,” meaning LPs, but it started me thinking about how I segregate my music collections. I own thousands of LPs and thousands of CDs, SACDs, DVD-As and files. On any given day, I might play …

I review a lot of high-end, expensive audio on this blog, but I take pride in covering truly affordable products as well. Take today’s subject, the $25/£30 FiiO F3 in-ear headphones. FiiO makes terrific affordable high-resolution portable music players, but I’ve also been charmed by its in-ear headphones, like the EX1. At $60 it’s one of the best sounding headphones …