Bluetooth speakers aren’t my forte, I’m a high-end guy, but I like the little Tribit XSound Go Bluetooth speaker because it sounds better than it has any right to. After all, it’s a dirt cheap speaker, it’s as featureless as they come, and yet I have to admit I’m enjoying this little critter. I took …

I’ve spent a good deal of quality time with Focal’s high-end headphones over the last few years, and came away with favorable impressions of them all.  This new one, the Elegia, differs from the other three over-the-ear headphones I’ve heard, the Elear, Clear and Utopia. They’re all open-back designs that let you hear your surroundings. The Elegia is a closed-back design …

I’m fascinated by the popularity of food shows on TV. Apparently a lot of people like to watch other people eating food. Entire networks play nothing but programs of people devouring food, or stranger yet, connoisseurs critiquing all of this incredible food viewers will never eat.  What does eating food have to do with audio you ask? They’re both sensual …

Monoprice, best known for its outstanding budget range of audio products, has been aiming higher in recent years, with mixed results. Their Monolith K-BAS speakers didn’t light my fire, but things picked up a bit with the Monolith M300 in-ear headphones.  The Monolith M650 full-size headphone is the best-sounding product I’ve heard from the company. Better yet, it sells for …

Audiophiles share a common passion for great sound, that’s what makes us audiophiles. Sound quality is a top priority, because once you’ve lived with great sound with speakers or headphones, you can’t settle for less.  As one of my pals recently put it, “I can stop being an audiophile nerd, but I’ll always be an audiophile. Once an audiophile always …

I rarely cover Bluetooth headphones, mostly because their wired counterparts usually sound better for less money. Still, it’s hard to ignore Bluetooth ‘phones booming popularity, so when NAD offered a sample of its Viso HP70 noise-canceling Bluetooth headphone, I agreed to take a listen. After all, its Viso HP50 headphone sounds awfully good; it’s really one of the best wired headphones I’ve …

I cover all sorts of audio gear, everything from dirt-cheap subwoofers to extravagantly expensive turntables; there’s something for every budget.  This time it’s a system with a Lepai LP2020TI stereo integrated amplifier that sells for the low, low price of just $38, mated with Dayton Audio B652 Air speakers that go for $50 a pair on Amazon. I’ll cut right …

The First Watt SIT 3 stereo power amplifier brings out the hedonist in me; it somehow makes every recording sound more alive, more complete, more like the way music moves me in real life. Ah yes, that’s what high-end audio is all about, and here with the SIT 3 it’s hard to stop listening to music, it’s that good. The …

Yes, they still make CDs and CD players. It’s funny, everywhere I turn I hear vinyl is back, but the CD format is still around, and dare I say it, there’s a lot more new music coming out on CD than LP. Maybe that’s why audiophiles are still seeking recommendations for CD players, especially affordable ones. This new NAD, the …

I started collecting records as a teenager, and as the years roll by my vinyl collection means more and more to me. I play these LPs all the time, and since I’ve upgraded my turntables over the years the music sounds better than ever. Even so, there’s always room for improvement. So when I heard about Perfect Vinyl Forever’s record …