The KEF Reference 1 is a music lover’s speaker. So even if you don’t give a hoot about the technical wizardry that went into its design, that’s fine — the sound of music will be more than enough to win you over. If you’re a hardcore audiophile, the Reference 1’s backstory goes like this. Unlike …

I suppose you could say the original Beats did it for headphones, they made it OK for average folks to buy expensive headphones, but Beats were more about a fashion statement than great sound. You wear headphones, home audio systems are more private. Ah, but when your pals come over and see, or better yet hear your sweet sounding hi-fi …

My high-end audio career started in earnest when I worked as a salesman in a brick-and-mortar store in the 1980s, and continued later as an audio reviewer. Lucky me — I’ve heard most of the world’s very best audio, but there’s still a lot of gear that I never got around to checking out. That was the case for FM …

The BBC recently reported that vinyl sales had reached a 25 year high, while CD and download sales head south. That’s hardly news, but if you care enough about music to be reading this, it might be a good time to consider buying something like the Pro-Ject Elemental. Enlarge Image The Pro-Ject Elemental turntable Pro-Ject Even before I heard it, …

I know the sound of Dynaudio speakers well, I’ve lived with more than a few of them over the years, but with my first impressions of the new Contour 20 it was clear something’s changed. With previous generations of Dynaudios the sound was big, rich and hearty; the new sound is more agile, livelier and more fun to listen to. …

I grew up with FM radio. It was the portal of choice for music discovery for teenagers. I went for college stations, alternative, or listener-supported outlets. Later I dabbled in talk radio, and I’m a regular National Public Radio listener, but to be honest I haven’t listened to much music on FM radio this century. So when I heard that …

The V-Moda Forza Metallo ($130 or £120) is a little smaller than most in-ear headphones, and one of the most comfortable in-ears I’ve ever used. Soundwise the Forza Metallo looms large, and (being a V-Moda) its build quality is exceptional. It’s sweat- as well as water-resistant, has a newly designed 5.8 mm driver, ear hooks, a fashionable carry case along …

ELAC’s speakers have been favorites here at CNET for a couple of years, so when I heard the company brought out a handsome little stereo amplifier I had to check it out. It was obvious from the get-go that rather than make just another integrated amp, ELAC engineers endowed the Element Series EA101EQ-G amp with a unique features set, including …

The KZ ATE-HiFi in-ear headphones are getting a lot of attention from audiophiles craving decent sound, but don’t have much dough. So I had to hear them for myself and bought a pair of KZ ATE-HiFis on Amazon for $13, with free shipping for Prime customers. When I received the headphones I tore open the package, and they looked better …

Most music lovers first got acquainted with digital audio in 1982, the year the CD came out. TV remained 100 percent analog from the very earliest broadcasts right up through 1997 when the DVD debuted, and analog over-the-air broadcasts in the US only started to be phased out in 2009. That’s not so long ago, but since then analog TV …