There are times when I think this strange hobby of ours borders on the insane. I feel this way every time I read an ad that promises miracles from an accessory that clearly defies the ...

Although "serious" listening is generally assumed to take place in a comfy listening chair, with the lights turned low and no other distractions, such a luxury is not only increasingly harder to enjoy in this ...

Digital sound now suffers from an embarrassment of riches. In addition to my casual listening to new products, I have had the opportunity to explore in depth four ambitious efforts during the last few months. ...

For me, the analog versus digital debate is similar to one in the wine world, where “Old” versus “New” World advocates often engage in passionate arguments in defense of not only their preferred regions, but ...

As most of you know, I’m a tube guy at heart—particularly when it comes to preamps. But if I were in the market for the state of the art in analog, I’d make a big ...

The annual Buyer's Guide Issue is packed with our top recommendations in every product category and at every price. We’ve carefully selected the crème de la crème from the vast array of products on the ...

The annual Buyer's Guide Issue is packed with our top recommendations in every product category and at every price. We’ve carefully selected the crème de la crème from the vast array of products on the ...

The annual Buyer's Guide Issue is packed with our top recommendations in every product category and at every price. We’ve carefully selected the crème de la crème from the vast array of products on the ...

Critical listening—the practice of evaluating the quality of audio equipment by careful analytical listening—is very different from listening for pleasure. The goal isn’t to enjoy the musical experience, but to determine if a system or ...

Many mechanisms for making air move in response to an electrical signal have been tried over the years. Three methods of creating sound work well enough—and are practical enough—to be used in commercially available products. ...

Digital signal processing offers amazing possibilities for improving the sound of an audio system. And the Holm DSPre1 really delivers the goods. It offers the ease of an automatic system together with the superior results ...

The Marten Getz loudspeaker is a three-way dynamic-driver floorstander. Its debut marks the completion of the four-model Heritage Series from the company that hails from the land of ABBA, Volvo, and Ingrid Bergman. Marten, known ...

Audiophilia is a strange, often frustrating, yet occasionally euphoric state that, as was determined many years ago by an eminent Freudian (a fan, if I’m not mistaken, of 845-based vacuum tube amplifiers), almost always affects ...

The annual Buyer's Guide Issue is packed with our top recommendations in every product category and at every price. We’ve carefully selected the crème de la crème from the vast array of products on the ...

II: The Cartridges (continued from Part 1) The Dynavector XV-1T The Dynavector is, sonically, like a kissing cousin to the My Sonic Labs Eminent. It has the same admixture of sonic strengths and minor shortcomings. ...