Headphones might all look and function the same – wear them over your head and they’ll pump sound into your ears. However, it’s possible to classify any pair as either open-back or closed-back headphones. So what exactly is the difference? Open–back headphones have ear cups with perforated outer shells that let air inside and let …
Soundbars are the modern day solution for great television audio. Their space-saving design and ease of setup make them attractive alternatives to traditional home theater systems. People just don’t want to rearrange their entire living room around big speakers and deal with complicated wiring issues. In this buyer’s guide we’ll be looking at our favorite …
Center channel speakers play a crucial role in surround sound systems by balancing the total sound of the system and providing a specific anchor location for dialogue and vocals. They bridge the gap between the left and right stereo speakers facilitating the more detailed spatial acoustics that 5.1 and 7.1-channel audio formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio were designed …
Established back in 2006, British loudspeaker company Q Acoustics is still in its early days. It might not have the rich heritage of other British brands like B&W or KEF, but engineering legendary speakers like the $4500 Concept 300 has made them a recurrent name in audiophile circles. The 3020i comes at a far more …
Among budget audiophiles the Micca MB42X and PB42X are pretty much the only speakers around their budget that come recommended. The Micca MB42X is simply a MB42 with a crossover while the PB42X is a powered version of the MB42X with a built in amplifier. The PB42X appears to hit a sweet spot. For less …
Edifier is a Chiniese audio manufacturer who dominate the Chinese market and are rapidly gaining recognition worldwide. The name might not possess the prestige associated with popular consumer brands like Bowers and Wilkins or Bose, but its products offer good value for money. Think Xiaomi, but in the HiFi space. In this review I’ll be …
ELAC are a German audio company that needs no introduction, and the new Debut 2.0 lineup is supposed to offer audiophile grade sound at an earthly price. Redesigned by the legendary ex-Pioneer sound engineer Andrew Jones, a lot of interesting decisions have been made to improve upon the highly successful Debut B6 that preceded them. …
Thanks to their compact size and versatility, bookshelf speakers are still the bestselling type of speaker for home listening. They can be used as desktop speakers, as part of a home theater setup or of course simply placed on either end of a bookshelf as the name would imply. With a budget of $300, you’ll …
The average person doesn’t know what a DAC is. And yet, it’s almost certain that they’ve used not one, but dozens, of DACs throughout their lifetime. Audio went digital and now pretty much everything we listen to is stored as a bunch of 0s and 1s. CDs, MP3s, WAV, FLAC and almost every audio format …
The vinyl revival is in full swing. Many of you will be first-time turntable buyers looking to make a turntable the new centerpiece of your Hi-fi system, while some of you might be looking to replace your existing record player and take your audio to the next level. Whatever your reason, this list of the …