Steve Guttenberg/CNET It was a first for me, but one of my friends has his very high-end system in his bedroom. He didn’t have any other hi-fi in his apartment, just in his bedroom, and the speakers were setup to be listened to only in bed. So I felt a little weird when he suggested …

Schiit Magni 2 Uber headphone amp (left) and Modi 2 Uber digital converter (right). Schiit Audio The Schiit Magni 2 Uber headphone amp and Modi 2 Uber digital converter are downright affordable, but still qualify as legitimate high-end audio components. Five years ago, I reviewed the Schiit Asgard headphone amp, and since then every Schiit product I’ve reviewed boasted an …

Sony TPS-L2 Walkman (left), NW-ZX2 Walkman (right) Sony It was 36 years ago today the original Sony Walkman was born and changed the way we listened to music on the go. The first-generation analog cassette Walkman was a phenomenon, and while it was pricey, everybody had to have one. Before Walkman, portable music was limited to AM/FM radios or large …

Flexson’s VinylPlay turntable Flexson I thought it was some kind of joke, but it’s for real: you can now play LPs over a wireless system with the Flexson VinylPlay turntable . The unit — which appears to be based on the UK-made Rega RP1 audiophile turntable — can be paired with a Sonos Connect or Sonos Connect Amp “base station,” …

Vinnie Rossi LIO Integrated Amplifier Vinnie Rossi The Vinnie Rossi LIO Integrated Amplifier is a unique design, I’ve never seen or heard anything like it before. LIO is a modular component, so it can be configured to suit your needs when you buy it, and reconfigured down the road when your needs change. Each section of the LIO Integrated Amplifier …

Noble Savant in-ear headphones Noble The Noble Savant universal-fit headphone’s sound compares with or exceeds some of the best and much more expensive custom molded headphones. The Savant sound has an open, spacious quality that’s rare for in-ear headphones, which tend to keep the soundstage inside your noggin. The Savant doesn’t. My review sample, finished in rather plain looking black …

Steve Guttenberg/CNET I’ve listened to and reviewed hundreds of headphones, and here’s what I’ve learned: they all sound different. Examining their specifications — frequency response, impedance, sensitivity, driver size, etc. — rarely yields useful information. For me the only spec that (sometimes) matters is the easiest one to understand — weight — because weight and long-term comfort are related. To …

MrSpeakers Ether headphones MrSpeakers In a crowded field of high-end contenders, the new MrSpeakers’ Ether headphones are getting a lot of attention for two good reasons: it’s a pleasure to wear, and the sound is revelatory! Even compared with one of my reference headphones, the Audeze LCD-X, Ether’s sound felt liberated, with clearer highs — it was more transparent overall. …

Steve Guttenberg/CNET Some say the first true consumer high-res digital audio format was the Super Audio CD (SACD) that was introduced by Sony/Philips in 1999. The DVD-Audio (aka DVD-A) disc arrived soon after, and their prolonged format war produced no decisive winner. Both formats sounded better than CD, there’s no doubt about that, but not better enough to woo huge …

The Emotiva Stealth DC-1 DAC Emotiva Founded in 2004, Emotiva was among the first direct-to-consumer high performance, highly affordable audio brands. I recently spoke with Emotiva President Dan Laufman about the big changes afoot. The biggest surprise was that he’s aggressively adding brick and mortar dealers in the US and abroad, while maintaining his direct sales online outlet. He expects …