The Journal of Affordable High-End Audio – Budget Hi Fi Magazine, Audiophile News, Budget Audiophile, Home Stereo System, Best Headphones
TL;DR The $ 639 GoldPlanar GL2000 Planar Magnetic Headphone (Double Magnetic Circuit) isn’t the most refined headphone at its price point, but it’s good-looking, super comfortable, and quite exhilarating to listen to. It’s no wonder
TL;DR Audeze’s first closed-back planar magnetic earphones aren’t cheap, but they do an excellent job of distilling the exciting performance from their full-sized headphones into a much smaller and lighter form factor. Overview Back in
TL;DR The OneOdio a70 is a cheap and comfortable pair of wireless/wired headphones with crisp highs, deep bass, and good battery life for the money. They also look pretty good. Disclaimer: The OneOdio a70 was
For the last year or so, if you were looking for a powerful, yet affordable headphone amp for your desktop, the $499 Topping A90 is the one most people would recommend. The A90 is fully
Today Audeze announced their new flagship planar-magnetic headphone, the $4500 LCD-5. This headphone boasts a new lightweight design with a carbon fiber headband and magnesium housing. It also has a new driver with Audeze’s Parallel
The Low Down While the good looks, quality build, and reasonable price may get them in the door, the Sivga SV021’s ($149) sensational comfort plus detailed and expansive presentation keep them hanging around. These nice
Today, Audeze, a company best known for reference-quality Planar Magnetic headphones, launched CRBN, a new electrostatic headphone with a novel carbon nano-tube technology in the drivers. This tech is based around a web of carbon
The Low Down The Audirect Atom2 Lightning is a lightweight DAC/Amp combo with a lightning connector for iPhones. It connects directly to the bottom of the phone so you can avoid floppy dongles, and it
This week, Campfire Audio continued the sustained growth of its burgeoning product line with two new models, the Holocene and Mammoth IEMs. Both are constructed of Campfire’s iconic aluminum housings and stainless steel spouts accented
Kinera has been on a roll. Over the last couple of years, the company has put out a constant stream of beautifully handpainted earphones, and each one has an interesting theme based on Norse mythology.
Last week Apple rolled out thousands of Lossless Audio and Hi-Res Lossless audio tracks on their Apple Music platform, bringing with them the promise of Audiophile-Quality playback. Here’s how Apple explains it: Apple has developed
Dali is giving their impressive IO-4 ($399) and IO-6 ($499) over-ear wireless headphones a refresh. Be on the lookout for new versions of these models next month, as the distributor has announced they will be available in
IFi’s Latest Portable Dac/Amp Combo Has Unrivaled Power And Refinement At Its Price! It’s no secret that I have a bit of a soft spot for iFi products. Their combination of innovative design, thoughtful features,
Is This An Even Better Value Than The Hifiman HE4xx and HE400i? If you’re looking to try planar magnetic cans on the cheap, Hifiman may have just the headphone for you. It’s called the HE400SE,
Choosing a DAC Amp for the Best Value Headphone under $500! A Reader Writes: I’m wondering if you can give me your recommendation for pairing up a DAC for the Hifiman Sundara headphones. I have
I’ve reviewed quite a few dongle style DAC/Headphone Amps over the last year or so, and I must say I dig them. Their compact size coupled with their affordability makes them an ideal way to
A reader writes: Would a music streamer, like Andover’s Audio Songbird Music Streamer, be necessary for a system with a PS Audio Sprout since the Sprout has Bluetooth? Thanks M.B. Hello M.B, Not necessarily.
Today, Audeze revealed the $1299 Euclid, their first closed-back in-ear Planar Magnetic earphone. It’s a beautiful design composed of aluminum and carbon fiber. Inside the housings are 18mm ultra-thin planar magnetic drivers which utilize scaled-down versions
The Beyerdynamic T5 is a legendary closed-back model in the headphones world, well known for its musicality and wide soundstage. It sits at the top of their wired hi-fi headphone range and contains the best
Focal Turns Heads With Their Latest Closed-Back Headphone! Today, Focal unveiled their latest luxury headphone model. The new $990 Celestee is a closed-back headphone that shares many design cues with their flagship closed-back model, the
Remarkable Wireless Sound For The Money! It wasn’t long ago, the phrase “Hi-Fi Bluetooth Receiver” would’ve been considered something of an oxymoron. Even a couple of years back, the sound quality of Bluetooth was pretty
Cambridge Audio’s First MQA DAC Amp Has Some Serious Specs! Today, venerated British hi-fi brand Cambridge Audio announced their first MQA compatible product, the top of the line DacMagic 200M DAC/Headphone Amp. This will be
This Pocket-Sized DAC/AMP Promises Reference-Quality Sound! iFi Audio is starting the new year off right with an impressive-looking new DAC/Headphone Amp. Called the iDSD Diablo, it’s positioned at the top of iFi’s considerable transportable DAC lineup
Helm Audio has been on a tear lately, producing an uninterrupted run of innovative portable audio gear for the last two years. They constantly seem to get the features/performance/price mix of their products right, making
Dan Clark Audio Gives Their Entry-Level Planar Magnetic Cans An Upgrade! Today, Dan Clark Audio, purveyors of fine Planar Magnetic Headphones, unveiled the latest version of their fan-favorite ÆON 2 headphones. Dubbed the ÆON 2