The first Q Acoustics speaker I heard was just a couple of years ago with its little 3020, and that one’s spunk really clicked with me. Then a year later, I heard the improved 3020i and the 3050i towers. All of them contenders, but they didn’t prepare me for this one: the Concept 300 aims …

It’s next to impossible to sit still when listening to Klipsch Forte III speakers. For me that doesn’t happen with most speakers, but this big Klipsch does a better job bringing recorded music back to life. I’m bouncing around to Sonic Youth, Bob Marley, Miles Davis, or any music with a groove. The urge is so strong that even when I try …

Headphone maker Massdrop changed its name — it’s known as just Drop now, and that might lead to some brand identity confusion. That said, my own thoughts about the $200 (Mass)Drop X Meze 99 Noir are crystal clear: this is a terrific headphone. Other than trading gold accents for anodized black, the new model is pretty close to the existing …

Picture an audiophile amplifier and what do you see? A big bruiser that hogs too much living space and costs a bloody fortune. Schiit Audio broke the mold with its Aegir amp. It’s small, solidly built and sounds like a bona fide high-end amp. The price is right too. The Aegir is $799 in the US, £800 in the UK, …

I’ve lost count how many MrSpeakers headphones I’ve reviewed, but their Ether 2 is the headphone maker’s biggest leap forward. First because it’s the world’s lightest planar magnetic, over-the-ear headphone, and the sound is deliciously clear, but not to the point it ruthlessly reveals recording flaws. As flagship high-end headphones go it’s a midprice design, the Ether 2 runs $1,999 …

I’ve spent quite a lot of time with the Harbeth P3ESR 40th Anniversary mini monitors and every time I listen to the speakers I hear something different, which is always a good sign. This review has taken a lot longer to write than most, however, because it’s harder to get a handle on the sound.  The speaker is a total chameleon, sometimes …

Focal started getting serious about making high-end headphones in 2016 with the introduction of the Utopia, it was right up there with the best in the world. Now with the Stellia, the engineers have pulled out all the stops and made a superb-sounding closed-back model that does a great job of blocking out external noise. Stellia runs a cool $3,000 in the …

American and British speaker design ethoses have always been very different. American brands such as Klipsch, Tekton, Vandersteen and Zu all share a common proclivity for dynamics and colorful sound. Brit brands such as Harbeth, KEF and Spendor are more reserved. Their Britishness always shines through as they seduce the ear. Take this new speaker from Spendor, the A7. It …

I used the original Audioengine A2 speakers on my desktop for years, and had no desire to replace them. Mind you, I had a terrific high-end audio system on the other side of the room. The A2s were just dandy as computer speakers, so when the Audioengine A2+ Wireless speakers were announced, my interest was piqued. They’re offered in high-gloss …

The Magnepan LRS — it stands for little ribbon speaker — isn’t your typical high-end speaker, and not just because it’s not expensive, at $650 a pair. The sound is remarkably clear, so music feels right. Picture a “normal” speaker and what do you see? A box with a tweeter and a woofer. The box might be shiny black or …