Sound bars have come a long way, and some sound perfectly decent, as long as you never compare them to stereo or home theater speaker systems. Their performance advantages over sound bars are so overwhelming I was confident a $380 stereo system consisting of a pair of speakers and integrated amp would trump the sound …

I know it might seem pretty straightforward — put on headphones, play music – and that’s all there is to it. Sure, that works, but with a decent set of headphones you can hear deep inside the music, if you do it right. Much more so than you ever will with a Bluetooth speaker, or even a very decent pair …

I was intrigued by an episode of Manoush Zomorodi’s always terrific WNYC Radio podcast, “Note To Self,” where performance artist Marina Abramović had an audience sit in total silence wearing noise-canceling headphones for 30 minutes before a live performance of J.S. Bach’s “The Goldberg Variations.” Abramović asserted that the silence would allow the listeners to clear their minds and allow …

The Koss ESP-950 electrostatic headphones debuted in 1990, so color me embarrassed — I’m a little late to the party. The good news is the ESP-950 is still being made, and this 26-year-old design is more transparent and spacious sounding than some of the best headphones I’ve reviewed over the past few years. The Koss ESP-950 headphones Koss Most headphones …

For most people I suppose it’s a mix — there’s no single location — but I do 80 to 90 percent of my listening at home, with stereo speakers or headphones. Most of the time when I’m at my computer, I’m writing or doing research for writing and don’t have music on; it would be too distracting. Location, location, location …

To the world at large, audiophiles might seem a little strange. Why do they spend so much money on speakers, or why do they like tube amplifiers? People assume a lot about us, but I think anyone who even occasionally gives recorded music their undivided attention is an audiophile, or might become one at some future date. So it’s not …

The Jays v-Jay on-ear headphone weighs next to nothing, a mere 2 ounces (58 grams), but the sound has real heft, so it provided a soul-satisfying kick to the “Hamilton” Broadway cast soundtrack. The rap musical connected all the dots over the V-Jays. True, the matte black, all-plastic design won’t win kudos for solid build quality, though the folding hinges …

If you already splurged on a great turntable and phono cartridge, maybe it’s time to hear them at their best with a top-notch phono preamplifier, like the Lehmann Black Cube SE II. That one had me, once again, rethinking the appeal of high-resolution digital audio. The Black Cube SE II is capable of producing extremely high-resolution sound, with LPs. The …

When I first donned Beyerdynamic’s new studio reference DT 1770 Pro headphone it was the comfort that surprised me. For once ear pad pressure against my noggin was commendably low. As high-end headphones go, the DT 1770 Pro is right up there with the easiest to wear for extended periods of time. The sound was definitely up to Beyerdynamic’s high …

I keep hearing the phrase, “it’s good for what it is,” used when salespeople and knowledgeable audiophiles are queried about wireless speaker systems. So what they’re really saying is, it’s not all that good, it’s just acceptable for what it is. That qualifier is a significant loophole, it’s like saying this frozen pizza is good for what it is, but …