Robert with his Zu Soul Supreme speaker Steve Guttenberg/CNET This speaker review takes a very different course than the sort that usually fill this blog, because I auditioned the speakers in my friend Robert’s home. He was looking to upgrade from his old Fluance towers, and after listening to a bunch of speakers, I suggested …

The tiny Fiio X1 music player Fiio Neil Young’s new Pono high-resolution music players are just starting to ship, but Fiio has been making stellar players for years, and all of them sell for less than the Pono. I’m a huge fan of Fiio’s X5 player, but for less than one-third the price of that one we now have the …

MrSpeakers Alpha Prime headphones MrSpeakers MrSpeakers’ Dan Clark started out as a speaker designer, but he switched over to headphones a few years ago. Clark loves his work; every time I see him demonstrating his headphones he’s always smiling, happy to answer any and all questions. MrSpeakers will celebrate its third year as a headphone manufacturer in April, 2015. Clark …

Fostex TH500RP Fostex Five years ago two upstart headphone makers, Audeze and Hifiman, introduced thin-film planar magnetic designs that sounded very different, and to my ears better than the more expensive, top-of-the-line AKG, Audio Technica, Beyerdynamic, Grado, and Sennheiser headphones. Audeze and Hifiman currently offer a range of planar models, but now Fostex has a new headphone, the TH500RP, that …

Kvart & Bolge’s Sound Sommeliers Kvart & Bolge I have to admit it was the look of the tiny Kvart & Bolge Sound Sommelier tower speakers that first piqued my interest. My samples were finished in a textured “Fender Tweed Amp” covering, a refreshing contrast to the usual boring black. Measuring a scant 4 inches wide and 32.5 inches tall …

The Pioneer PLX-1000 Pioneer Electronics Most audiophiles never got on-board with direct-drive turntables, which is why the vast majority of high-end turntables are belt-drive designs. Their logic is simple enough: with belt-drive, the belt mechanically isolates the motor from the platter, so whatever rumble or noise the motor generates won’t be transmitted through the platter and LP to the stylus …

I’ve lost track of how many Schitt headphone amplifiers and digital converters I’ve reviewed, but their all-new Mani phono stage is a very different kind of product. Mani amplifies the miniscule voltages generated by a turntable phono cartridge so your LPs can be played over AV receivers, desktop powered speakers, boom boxes, etc. The little Mani’s all-metal chassis measures a …

Micromega MyAmp Steve Guttenberg/CNET I have to admit that at first glance I didn’t take the Micromega MyAmp too seriously. It was little and cute, but then the extruded metal heat sinks visible on both sides of the amp caught my eye. As I lingered it started to become clear MyAmp wasn’t just another mini amp, designed for buyers who …

Ear buds (left) are very different than in-ear headphones (right). Steve Guttenberg/CNET Give it a try, turn the volume down a little, and once you get used to listening quietly, turn it down a little more. Granted, quiet listening works best in quiet places; in noisy environments stick with in-ear, closed-back, or noise-canceling headphones. Avoid ear buds and open-back headphones, …

PS Audio’s Sprout. Music Direct PS Audio is an American high-end audio company with a long track record making innovative products, but the little Sprout feels like a fresh start. First there’s the clean look, the Sprout’s aluminum housing frames a real walnut top cover, and the front panel has just two knobs, one handles input selection, the other volume. …