Mirage Loudspeakers are coming back. The storied Canadian brand has been reborn and we’re really excited to see if the M-1 is returning. If you are old enough […]
hi-fi
The Leak Stereo 230 offers hi-res streaming support, MQA, DSD, and a MM phono stage. The vintage audio theme remained very popular with both consumers and manufacturers in 2022; Klipsch, […]
A primer on the birth and evolution of recorded sound and the rise of high-fidelity stereo systems… Cheesy 1990s graphics? Check. Dated approach to documentary TV? Obviously. Woefully […]
Record totes, weights, portable turntable, books for your beloved vinyl and hi-fi friends. Here’s a challenge for you: The holiday season is in full effect. Those who celebrate […]
Brooklyn-based Ohm Acoustics have been manufacturing loudspeakers for almost 48 years. A deep dive by the Budget Audiophiler. There is a wonderful scene in Bosch when after a long day […]
Makers across the country have expanded their shelving options. Another tactic? Buy your woodworking friend a bottle of Scotch. Let’s not belabor the point: Ikea’s KALLAX shelving unit, […]
The spacious North Park listening bar / lounge features four Klipschorns and two reel-to-reel tape machines. A few months ago, we took the Pacific Surfliner down the coast […]
Ecoustics’ Robert Silva dives into the basics of subwoofers and what you need to know. In order to experience great sound in a speaker setup, you need speaker […]
Audio-Technica celebrates 60 years with a limited run of their cult classic Sound Burger. We’re a little late on this, but figured it makes sense to share anyway […]
Looking to build a great sounding system for under $5k? The Wharfedale Linton Heritage Speakers are a great place to start. Wharfedale’s founder, Gilbert Briggs built his first […]
An affordable handmade 2.3 watt tube amplifier that hits much harder than its power rating would suggest. Over the past 23 years, I have had the opportunity to […]
How a tiny turntable restoration company turned a new generation of vinyl listeners into the cult of Thorens. Have you taken a look at turntable prices lately? Inflation […]
The Quad 303 and 33 are two of the best British vintage audio components from before you were born. How do they sound decades later? As much as […]
Immerse yourself in an intimate Brooklyn listening space. Anyone who has spent time in New York knows that it’s a loud city. The streets are constantly bustling with […]
What you need to know about understanding frequency response curves of loudspeakers. Here’s an essential archival article from Paul Diacomo, a brilliant writer and longtime Polk Audio executive […]
Ecoustics’ Eric Pye shares his best record cleaning solutions to maintain your records. When I went to Japan as an ESL teacher in my mid-20s, it marked not […]
Ecoustics’ Eric Pye shares his adventures with the Klipsch KLF-30 speakers. On March 15th I had the opportunity to hear my second ever pair of Klipsch loudspeakers. In […]
One of the most iconic Japanese audio brands, vintage Sansui amplifiers have become super hot on the used market and we know why. In my last year of […]
Have prices for vintage Marantz components made them a stretch for a lot of vintage audio fans? Fear not. We have other options. Vintage Marantz components have seen […]
A selection of the best integrated amplifiers currently available from Rega, Yamaha, Cambridge Audio, Audiolab, NAD, and Iota. For this installment of “Best Right Now,” eCoustics Ian White […]
The founder of the famed loudspeaker company guides visitors through his lab and headquarters. For a while the Klipsch Speaker company in Hope, Arkansas not only built and […]
American-made floorstanding loudspeakers offer a taste high-end audio for under $2,000. I know I’ve been harping on “affordability” a lot recently on eCoustics. Boring. Yawn. I get it. […]
Ubiquitous on vintage audio marketplaces, the company’s flagship speaker outperforms fancier brands. Once upon a time at an estate sale in the middle of Missouri, two lucky gear […]
Three modern sounding loudspeakers with an old-school aesthetic from Klipsch, JBL, and Wharfedale. Consumers and manufacturers love to wax poetically about “vintage” when it comes to loudspeakers and […]
Ecoustics’ Jeremy Sikora shares his journey acquiring and restoring the rare Fisher 400 Tube Receiver. The Budget Audiophiler is going to begin this week with a little rant. […]
Looking for a pair of entry-level bookshelf speakers? Check this honest review from ecoustics on the Klipsch RP-600M. A lot of ink has been spilt about the Klipsch […]
Get the best sound from your turntable by upgrading its phono cartridge. Vinyl finds itself at an unexpected crossroads in 2022; a new generation of listeners has turned […]
Today we take a look at the mighty eighty-plus pound broadcast turntable – Elektromesstechnik’s 927 and its compact kid brother, the EMT 930. Massive, industrial, monochromatic, and most […]
Limited on space and budget? Check these great sounding bookshelf speakers from $318 and up. Most people love the idea of a pair of floor standing loudspeakers in […]
Looking for a classic vintage power amplifier? The Dynaco ST-70 needs to be on your radar if you crave that classic EL34 tube sound. Not all vintage buys […]
Ecoustics’ Eric Pye (Audio Love NYC) shares his journey with two premium vintage turntables from the 70’s. In the early ‘90s I took the digital plunge, and I […]
A fully comprehensive guide to buying vintage audio from ecoustics’ Budget Audiophiler. After reading the first two installments of my column, I’m sure it’s become obvious that I have a […]
Klipsch, Altec Lansing, JBL, Advent, Acoustic Research, and more classics that won’t bust your budget. A great stereo system, the saying goes, is only as good as its […]
Seven vintage but affordable amplifiers to upgrade your listening setup. Here’s a scenario that virtually anyone who has entered the home listening game by investing in a vintage […]
McIntosh announces an updated version of their classic power amp. More than 50 years ago, the hi-fi magazine Stereo Review opened its assessment of the then-new McIntosh MC-3500 […]
Next-gen audiophile designer Devon Turnbull talks shop with the Audiophiliac. To hear the speaker-maker Devon Turnbull, whose DJ and graffiti name is OJAS, discuss the intentions in creating […]
A look into some of our favorite audiophile bars around the globe, old and new, from Hong Kong to Miami. In recent years, hi-fi and listening bars have […]
Legendary Klipsch, McIntosh, Altec, Sansui equipment from the Grateful Dead go up for auction this Thursday. On Thursday, Sotheby’s will open bidding on a breathtakingly deep auction of […]
Katsumasa Kusunose, founder of the great Jazz Kissa publication, shares his fifteen favorite jazz kissas in Tokyo. Currently, about 100 jazz kissa and jazz bars are open in […]
Highly recommended vintage hi-fi reading from audiophile writer Hans Fantel. Though his name is nearly lost to time, starting in the 1950s the writer Hans Fantel was a […]
Building a system from the ground up? Start with the speakers. Some sage advice from a 1975 essay in High Fidelity magazine. The whole thing can be overwhelming, […]
Introducing Cell Alpha, the world’s first Triphonic speaker. I wasn’t quite sure what to think when I first saw Syng’s Cell Alpha speaker. The clear, almost droid-like design […]
Retro hi-fi and vinyl salesmanship salvaged from the vaults. Though it might now seem hard to fathom, there was a time when record retailers and hi-fi shops earned […]
From June 23 – September 25, the team behind In Sheep’s Clothing will host a series of dedicated listening sessions four nights a week at Neuehouse. After more […]
Ten absurdly beautiful plinth designs. The physical experience of playing vinyl helps listeners rationalize elaborate customizations, from record shelves to speaker stands. One of the most gratifying, and […]
A few basic concepts to get the best sound out of your listening room. With all the time, money and effort spent buying and putting together the hi-fi […]
ISC sits down with Condesa Electronics founder Mehdi El-Aquil to talk mixers, how Condesa came to be, and the future of rotaries. Based in Adelaide, Australia, Condesa Electronics in […]
Classic advertisements and illustrations from the cassette age. When Lou Ottens, who invented the cassette tape, died in March, a host of stories celebrated the life of a […]
Capturing the 70’s hi-fidelity craze in illustrations. If you were lucky enough to be a music freak who could also illustrate, in the 1960s and ‘70s you could […]
All hail the Thorens TD-160, an easily modified and uniquely designed classic turntable. History The famed Thorens TD-160 is pretty much unparalleled when it comes to classic vintage […]
Beautiful Japanese designs from the golden age of record players. Portable technology has always been an essential part of humanity. Whether a stone tool or cellular phone, there’s an […]
Classic Marantz, Klipsch, JBL, and Garrard advertisements from the peak Hi-Fi era. Fifty years ago when magazines were the dominant source of information on listening and hi-fi culture, […]
Take a look inside Chokuritsu Enjin, a small, strictly jazz bar named after Mingus’s Pithecanthropus Erectus. Via Chasing the Sun Moments, a documentary travel series telling stories from […]
Celebrity sound systems featuring Garrard, Tannoy, McIntosh, Thorens, and custom hi-fi equipment. News alert: Celebrities are very much human like the rest of us, despite that popular culture […]
The next part in our intro to hi-fi series focuses on used marketplaces and how to find deals on vintage gear. Finding a killer vintage amp or turntable […]
A wonderfully cheeky video from John Darko on how plants affect the sound of your listening room. If you’ve ever visited audiophile message boards, you’ll notice they’re filled […]
Listening, a recent film by Stereophile, explores how one deaf audiophile experiences music through a Mylar balloon. In a touching video tribute to late writer Art Dudley, Stereophile […]
Background When committing to hi-fi audio gear you’re going to have a lot of choices, and among the most crucial is whether you’ll be looking for a tube […]
Background When Jonathan Weiss first laid eyes on the old stone Oswalds Mill building in the wilds outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania in New Tripoli, he knew it was […]
Continuing our intro to hi-fi series with a look at one of the most important components of the sound system – the phono cartridge. When considering the sound […]
While most architects and designers were busy developing the future of everyday things, a few made the foray into hi-fi and had stunning results. Aiming to add simplicity […]
A look into the label behind the iconic ORIGINAL MASTER RECORDING. If you’ve stepped into a reputable record store or stereo dealer in the past 30 years, you’ve […]
Surprisingly affordable, powerful integrated receivers with warm, clear sound. Background: Maybe it’s the nostalgia. Perhaps it’s the distinctive stainless steel look, with its warm golden glow emanating from […]
Tana Yonas speaks to Blue Note’s Joe Harley on his history with jazz and the upcoming releases in their Tone Poet hi-fi series. Blue Note’s recent Tone Poet […]
For the first piece in our new gear series, we take a look at one of our all time favorite speakers, the Klipsch Heresy. Background: First introduced by […]
Interested in vintage audio gear? The team behind ISC HiFi takes you through the basics and shares a few of their favorites. It’s a hotly debated topic when […]
ISC HiFi releases 20 new (( ROOM RECORDINGS )). Bryan Ling reflects on the inspiration behind these sessions. The room recordings on the ISC website are meant to […]
Making Waves is a 2019 documentary examining how visionary directors work with sound designers to create the most exciting cinematic experiences. The film follows discoveries and advances in […]
Phil Cho speaks to the artist behind dublab’s new Quadraphonic Universally Accessible Resource Kit (QUARK). Kamran V builds bridges between technology and artistry. He’s a producer, sound artist, […]
It would behoove every listener-collector — vinyl freaks and Hi-Fi heads included — to consider subscribing to a streaming service, politics be damned. Yes, royalty payments to your […]
The music lounge known for hosting eclectic listening sets from selectors around the world closes permanently at their At Six Hotel location. Hosoi’s founder, Victor Sanchez, shared this […]
It’s no secret that In Sheep’s Clothing focuses on active listening and the depths to be explored within the grooves of great records. We sell and recommend physical […]
ISC Staff Michael Friedman steps into Wes Katzir’s elegant, industrial Downtown Los Angeles showroom. It doesn’t get any more ‘state of the art’ than this, and one could […]
Notice anything in the recordings in our audio player? Maybe Alice Coltrane’s World Galaxy hums differently than on vinyl or streaming platforms? Perhaps it sounds a little more […]
