There’s high-end audio, and there’s a wholly different strata of high-end audio that even I, the Audiophiliac, rarely come in contact with. I was keenly aware of that fact when I dropped by Rhapsody Music & Cinema, here in NYC. I was warmly greeted by the owner, Bob Visintainer, who showed me around his impressive …

Holding these little critters from First Harmonic in my hands the aluminum ear pieces have a solid quality feel, that’s not something you can always count on with $35 headphones. The cable’s inline mic and controls work with iPhones and Androids, and you get five sizes of silicon ear tips (from extra small to extra large). Thanks to the ear …

I love the genre, always have. Director Todd Haynes’ Dylan biopic, “I’m Not There,” is terrific in the way it captures Dylan, with six actors playing the role. The Johnny Cash bio, “I Walk the Line,” is up there, but I was unmoved by “Get On Up,” the James Brown story. The following capsule reviews represent my current best-of list …

I’m a light sleeper, and I live in Brooklyn, New York, so when a fire engine races past my apartment at 3 a.m., or the garbage trucks arrive at 5:15 a.m., I’m going to wake up. Then, a few weeks ago city construction workers started digging up my street at 11 p.m., and continued making a racket till 4 a.m.! …

Audio has always been a big part of my life, first as a music lover, then an audiophile, then audio salesman, which led to working as a producer for Chesky Records. All of that turned out to be great preparation for writing reviews. Enlarge Image The KEF Blade TWO speakers KEF I’ve heard literally countless speakers, including most of the …

It’s an open-ended question, but if you have big speakers or a humongous home-theater system, have you considered going for something smaller? I understand, but if you like the sound you have now, are you willing to give that up? That’s the hard part. It’s a lot easier if you’re not all that crazy about what you’ve got — sure, …

For my taste, the Woo Audio WA7tp Fireflies headphone amplifier is the best looking component of this century. I mean that, pictures don’t do it full justice. The metal and glass design on my desktop is a sight to behold, and I thought so when I reviewed the original WA7 in 2013, the updated model I’m reviewing here today debuted …

We’re looking at the big picture, this is a how to buy an audio system that best suits your needs. So while I’m not going to recommend specific products, I’ll set you on a course of action. Step 1: Think. What room in your home do you want to listen to music or watch movies? True, most folks may have …

I’ve heard Dynaudio’s Xeo series wireless speakers many times at audio shows since 2012, but those were brief encounters. I wanted to spend quality listening time with the newest model, the Xeo 2. It sports a 1-inch (27mm) soft dome tweeter, and a 6-inch (140mm) woofer; each driver is powered by a separate 65 watt amplifier inside the Xeo 2. …

It didn’t take too long to feel right at home with the new Beyerdynamic T5p (2. Generation) headphones ($1,099, £977, AU$1,829) because the look and feel of this hand-crafted in Germany headphone isn’t so different than most of the full-size Beyerdynamic headphones I’ve reviewed over the last few years. The T 5 p stands out from the pack because it’s …