Master & Dynamic MH40 headphones Steve Guttenberg/CNET All that separates audiophiles from everybody else is we care about what our music sounds like. That, and audiophiles pay more attention to music than most other people because we, at times, focus solely on the music. It’s that important to us. Once you’re really listening you start …

The new Pioneer Elite speakers and sub Pioneer Electronics Andrew Jones has a degree in physics, but his real passion is speaker design. He started as a research engineer for KEF then moved to Infinity Speakers, but he’s mostly known for engineering with Pioneer; he’s chiefly responsible for their ultra high-end TAD Reference line of speakers that sell for close …

Devialet 120 integrated amplifier Devialet From an outsider’s perspective, most high-end audio gear probably looks like it was designed by and for audiophiles, to the exclusion of everybody else. Big, ungainly speakers with bits of wood trim aren’t going to wow fashion-conscious “civilians,” and mammoth amplifiers with glitzy lights can be eyesores. Not to me — I look past the …

Jerry Harvey pioneered high-performance, custom molded in-ear headphones 20 years ago. They were initially designed for musicians as in-ear stage monitors, and Harvey amassed a huge base of musician customers such as Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, Linkin Park, the Rolling Stones, Van Halen and many more. Jerry Harvey and his company, JH Audio, continues to push performance boundaries and he …

Steve Guttenberg/CNET I’m a big Bob Dylan fan, but his last few albums have left me cold. He’s old, and sounds it, and the songwriting ain’t what it used to be. So when I received a promo of the new album “Shadows in the Night,” I wasn’t even sure I wanted to hear it. I left it on a stack …

Joseph Grado with one of his early headphones. Martin McKenzie Joseph Grado, an innovative audio designer, died Friday. He was 90 years old. I met Mr. Grado only once, and that was 30 years ago when he gave a talk at the New School in New York City. He was there to discuss how he started designing phono cartridges. Before …

Yamaha R-S201 stereo receiver Yamaha If you’ve been flummoxed one too many times by the complexity of multichannel AV receivers, the Yamaha R-S201 stereo receiver may be just what you need. It’s super-simple to setup and use, so after you have selected one of its five inputs, and turned the volume up, you will definitely hear sound. With AV receivers …

The Schiit Lyr 2 headphone amp. Schiit Audio The Schiit Lyr 2 is far more powerful than your average headphone amplifier, most of which top out with a small fraction of a watt. The Lyr 2 has up to 6 watts on tap — but don’t worry, the power won’t break your headphones. Hey, just because your Ferrari 458 Italia …

Apple headphones Steve Guttenberg/CNET It’s a fair guess that sound quality isn’t a big priority when you only listen in your car, or with a Bluetooth speaker, free earbuds, a boom box, or a cheap speaker or headphone. In 2015, music sounds perfectly fine for most people, most of the time, so seeking out better sounding headphones or speakers doesn’t …

The Lepai LP-2020A amplifier sitting atop the Dayton Audio B452 bookshelf speakers. Steve Guttenberg/CNET As regular Audiophiliac readers know, I love writing about cost-no-object, high-end audio, but I also have a soft spot for dirt cheap, but decent sounding gear. When I recently reviewed the new small bookshelf speaker from Dayton Audio, the B452 , I couldn’t help but be …