The Koss SP330 (left), and SP540 (right) Koss Koss is one of the oldest headphone makers in the US, and it has a number of models that have remained in the line for decades. I’m thinking about the Porta Pro on-ear headphones and the Pro4AA over-the-ear headphones, to name two. So when Koss introduces new …

Wharfedale Diamond 220 speakers Wharfedale Wharfedale is one of those well-regarded British loudspeaker manufacturers that I take for granted. Their speakers have always been strong contenders, and the brand first made its mark in the US with its entry-level Diamond Series in the early 1980s. The Diamonds are still with us, they’re now called the Diamond 200 Series. For this …

Outlaw Audio Model 5000 Outlaw Audio If you’ve invested in a great set of speakers and subwoofer for your home theater and you want to take your sound to the next level, you need a great amplifier. Sure, your AV receiver may have a ton of features — Bluetooth, networking, 4K switching, Audyssey MultEQ XT 32, Wi-Fi, AirPlay, SiriusXM and …

The Aurender Flow digital converter/headphone amplifier Aurender High-end products are, by definition, expensive. There’s a premium for luxury products that can’t always be directly tied to the cost of producing, marketing, and selling them, but bleeding edge performance and excellence in design are requirements to achieve full-fledged high-end status. Even so few buyers push the limits of the designs, but …

Steve Guttenberg/CNET I cringe every time I see a small speaker sitting on the floor. It all but guarantees they’ll sound dull because most of their midrange and treble detail will never make it up to your ears. The one good thing about putting speakers on the floor is their bass output will be boosted, relative to what a bookshelf, …

Stereo integrated amplifiers are as old school as you can get. They’re pretty basic; for decades integrated amps just had a volume control, inputs for CD, radio, “aux,” and sometimes a phono input for a turntable. There might be bass and treble controls, but most amps didn’t even come with a remote control! My no-frills NAD C 316BEE, 40 watt …

Hifiman RE600S Hifiman When I first heard the Hifiman RE600S in-ear headphone in the summer of 2013 it blew me away. The sound was super clear and the imaging was expansive. I also loved that the RE600S’ gloss black finished aluminum ear pieces were incredibly tiny and lightweight, so comfort was excellent. But it was the transparency that kept me …

Wynton Marsalis, right, on trumpet; Dan Nimmer, piano. Steve Guttenberg/CNET Say what you will about big venue concert sound systems, but one thing’s for sure, they can play incredibly loud. I’m more interested in systems that sound really good. I was thinking about all of that the night I went to hear a private demo of the Meyer Sound Constellation …

In the life of an audiophile, speakers come and go, but the first pair that really pulled me into the music weren’t particularly special. I remember the brand, it was XAM, but not the exact model number. It was a small, real wood veneered box, with a beige cloth grille. XAM was the house brand of the EJ Korvettes department …

AKG K3003i Steve Guttenberg/CNET Even before you pop the AKG K3003i into your ears you know something’s up. The beautifully finished metal earpieces look and feel expensive, so the K3003i is priced like the high-end product that it is. The K3003i sounds more dynamically alive than any other universal fit in-ear headphone I’ve tried. If you get to check out …