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 …

A few weeks ago I wrote a very enthusiastic review of the $26 KZ ZSA in-ear headphones, so I was looking for more affordable in-ears when I remembered I had these Etymotic MK5 Isolator ‘phones buried in my to-do pile. I get a lot of headphones and easily three quarters of them are instantly forgettable. The MK5 was lost in …

It was just last year when Beatles fans were treated to a remix (not merely a remaster) of the iconic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, and now we have John Lennon’s best post-Beatles work, Imagine, lavishly expanded on the six-disc John Lennon: Imagine — The Ultimate Collection box set. It’s set to drop on Oct. 5, and there …

While I rarely have a need to physically touch my speakers or digital converter, turntables are all about how they feel when you play a record. Vinyl is the most tactile of all music formats, so if the turntable feels awkward or cheap, playing music won’t be much fun. Even before I listened to an LP, the MoFi StudioDeck turntable …

There’s no denying it: the Sennheiser HD 800 is an iconic headphone.  When it debuted back in 2009, it was a seriously radical looking and sounding upgrade over Sennheiser’s previous flagship model, the HD 650. The HD 800 is still in the line, along with the slightly revised HD 800S, and they’re both open-back designs.  Now we have something new …

Last weekend I reviewed the fabulous Q Acoustics 3050i tower speakers. But then I thought, too bad not everybody has room for speakers as big as these bad boys! So this time I went for downright tiny speakers, the Totem Acoustic KIN Mini, which measures a trim 5 by 8.9 by 5.8 inches (126 by 226 by 146 mm).  Surely …

KZ is one of those companies, like FiiO before it, that really pushes the performance envelope of budget audiophile gear. Take the KZ ZSA in-ear headphone, this two-way design runs an 8mm dynamic driver for bass, and a balanced armature driver for the treble, both housed in a snazzy CNC machined-aluminum earpiece. The headphones’ impedance is rated at 18 ohms, …

I have to admit, I’m a recent convert to Q Acoustics speakers. It was just last year that I reviewed my first model, the adorable 3020 bookshelf speaker, but the company has since refreshed its 3000i Series line. Ears-on time with the new 3020i (full CNET review to come) proved it’s even better than last year’s 3020. So it made …

The extreme upper strata of headphones may be just play toys for rock stars, Silicon Valley titans, Wall Street wizards, and sports heroes who eagerly pony up $55K, £30K, AU$75K for the Sennheiser HE-1 headphones plus amplifier system, or Hifiman’s equally expensive Shangri La electrostatic headphone & amp system. Luckily there are some really interesting high-end headphones coming in at …

There’s no getting around it, the high-end audio demographic skews to baby boomers. They’re the ones that mostly design, sell, and buy audiophile gear. That’s why I’m happy to report there’s a growing contingent of younger men and women making outstanding audio products attracting younger buyers. While some young people inherit their parent’s or older owner’s businesses I’m more interested …