Audiophile
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HARMAN Wins BMW Contract for New High-End Audio Systems
Business Wire Technology News &bull Dec 15, 2011
STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HARMAN, the premium audio and infotainment group (NYSE:HAR), announced today that it has been awarded a long-term, multi-million dollar contract by BMW AG, to provide the High-End Surround Sound System for its compact class luxury vehicle platforms. The new branded audio system will offer BMW customers… Full Story »
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Marantz SR5006 AV Receiver Video Review
Audio Receivers Reviews on Audioholics &bull Dec 13, 2011
Where audio and video equipment undergoes rigorous objective and subjective tests by our staff, ensuring that marketing slogans aren't the only guidelines for your home theater choices. Learn about all sorts of authentic (if sometimes off-the-wall) products that you can spray on, tape on, insert into, or otherwise use to improve a room's acoustics. Sometimes a receiver or a format-converter isn't enough. In those cases, audio and video processors can do wonders to the sounds and sights in your home theater. Peruse our reviews of A/V processors to discover the ones you need. Receivers are often the heart of a… Full Story »
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Upgrade question pre amp replacement and or OPPO95
Home Theater Forum &bull Dec 12, 2011
"Let me start with explaining that I have always been more of an audiophile person but..." Full Story »
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Topics:
- Amplifier
- Audiophile
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Do all Blu-ray (and DVD) players sound the same?
The Audiophiliac on CNET &bull Dec 10, 2011
I get this question a lot, "Steve, what's the best-sounding Blu-ray player." Sometimes the questioner is more specific, "I have an Oppo BDP-83, but is the Oppo BDP- 95 better? What are you using at home?" I have an Oppo BDP-95 ($999), which has a lot in common with the company's BDP-93 ($499) 3D universal Blu-ray, SACD, DVD-Audio player, but… Full Story »
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How good can $21.59 headphones be?
The Audiophiliac on CNET &bull Dec 7, 2011
The Monoprice 8323 Premium Hi-Fi DJ Style Over-the-Ear Pro Headphones are, hands-down, the best full-size, over-the-ear headphones you can buy on the cheap. I've written about Monoprice's high-value, low-price cables, and more recently raved about some of its superaffordable speakers and subwoofers, so it seemed like a good time to check out Monoprice's headphones. Monoprice has quantity pricing for nearly everything it sells, so if you buy two pairs of 8323 headphones… Full Story »
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How to make your LPs sound better than ever
The Audiophiliac on CNET &bull Dec 4, 2011
Mainstream audio products aren't designed that way; they're sold mostly on the basis of features like Bluetooth or AirPlay that consume an ever larger part of the design engineer's focus and budget. No, high-end audio in its purest form is all about superlative sound. Jolida's JD-9 tube phono preamplifier is such a design. The selection of newly released LPs is growing day by day, and I loved Nick Lowe's "The Old Magic"… Full Story »
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Are you finished with physical media?
The Audiophiliac on CNET &bull Dec 3, 2011
It was just the other day when I had a conversation with CNET Senior Editor David Katzmaier about movies, and he told me he was getting rid of nearly all of his DVDs and Blu-rays. Whoa, that news hit me hard; Katzmaier has reviewed a gazillion TVs and loves movies, but he no longer feels a need to keep… Full Story »
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Will the iPad kill the big-screen TV?
The Audiophiliac on CNET &bull Nov 30, 2011
I keep hearing that more and more people are watching movies and TV shows on their iPads or other tablets. That's amazing; every single one of these folks probably owns a large flat-screen display, but the "convenience" of watching a tablet in bed or on the train is a better fit. It's a lifestyle issue, where size really does matter. Sure, they haven't completely stopped… Full Story »
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Audio Research Corporation 40th Anniversary Reference Preamp
Home Audio Reviews on eCoustics &bull Nov 28, 2011
Audio Research is a company with a long and respected history in the audiophile world. To honor that history the company created the 40th Anniversary Reference Preamp. Does the amp do Audio Research's legacy justice? Ken Taraszka investigates. Full Story »
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Topics:
- Amplifier
- Audiophile
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Viola Labs: America's 'secret' high-end audio brand
The Audiophiliac on CNET &bull Nov 28, 2011
American companies dominate the worldwide high-end audio market, but those brands are known only to the most passionate audiophiles in their home country. Like most American high-end brands, Viola Labs, based in New Haven, Conn., has just a few retail outlets in the U.S. Audiophiles in Asia and Europe have made up the majority of Viola's… Full Story »
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Top 10 music Blu-ray discs
The Audiophiliac on CNET &bull Nov 27, 2011
A lot of them didn't make the cut; just because a Blu-ray has a high-resolution soundtrack doesn't automatically mean it sounds great; the variables of the original recordings and mixing can make or break the sound. For example, Tom Petty's "Mojo" Blu-ray doesn't sound much better than the CD version of the same music, but it does have an uninspired 5.1 surround mix. All of the following discs are distinctly better than Petty's, but my list is in no particular order of sound quality. All of the Blu-rays have lossless, DTS Master Audio soundtracks, but not even one had a… Full Story »
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Shaken and stirred by Bob Marley headphones
The Audiophiliac on CNET &bull Nov 23, 2011
I was treated to a nice sampling of House of Marley audio gear at a trade show recently, and came away impressed. HOM offers a wide selection of distinctly styled in-ear and full-size headphones, docks, and other gear, but when it came down to what I wanted to review I gravitated to the Stir It Up on-ear headphones ($200 with… Full Story »
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Where are the truly beautiful speakers?
The Audiophiliac on CNET &bull Nov 20, 2011
Go to any hi-fi show and you'll see room after room filled with the latest and greatest-sounding speakers, but chances are you won't come away from the experience captivated by brilliant designs. I sometimes wonder if the audio industry will ever get its act together and make speakers you don't have to be an audiophile to love. Extreme cars, like Ferraris and Lamborghinis, arouse strong, positive reactions from… Full Story »
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CD box sets: It's that time of year again
The Audiophiliac on CNET &bull Nov 19, 2011
For a prime example of the state of the art of the box set, check out the extra-thick album sleeves and gorgeous slipcase on Pearl Jam's "vs. Vitalogy Deluxe Edition" three-disc set. The third disc is a live show from Boston's Orpheum Theatre in 1994. The band is peaking, and it's great to hear this fierce, passionate music sounding this good. To get the full effect, you'll want to play it loud. The remastered "vs." The folks at Sony Legacy pulled out all the stops for the… Full Story »
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What Is a Good Stereo Receiver?
Home Audio How-To's on eHow &bull Nov 18, 2011
The foundation for solid audio begins with solid amplification. Modern stereo receivers run the gamut from inexpensive models to units a true audiophile would appreciate. The difference between the cheaper models and the more expensive units its obvi... Full Story »
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Topics:
- Audiophile
- Receivers
- Stereo
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NHT SuperPower speaker, a power to be reckoned with?
The Audiophiliac on CNET &bull Nov 16, 2011
The original NHT SuperZero speaker was an immediate hit with audiophiles when it was introduced in 1993, and the current SuperZero 2.0 ($198 a pair) is still the company's biggest seller. NHT (Now Hear This) was in New York last week demonstrating its newest creation: the SuperPower speaker ($199 each).… Full Story »
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The heavy-metal-speaker man
The Audiophiliac on CNET &bull Nov 12, 2011
Like so many audio entrepreneurs I've talked with over the years, Wolf had started building speakers for himself years before he officially got into the business in 2005. Mastering engineer Paul Stubblebine was one of Wolf's first customers; he heard something in a Wolf speaker he couldn't get anywhere else. Wolf was only interested in building the very best speakers he could without cost constraints, and that's his market… Full Story »
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Is music too loud?
The Audiophiliac on CNET &bull Nov 2, 2011
In real life a folk singer isn't as loud as a rock band, but once her recording is compressed she might be as loud as Metallica. Of course, with most types of music the sound isn't turned up to 11 all of the time. There are quiet passages, and only the loudest parts, like the hardest drum hits, are really loud. We have the technology to accurately record music, but few record companies choose to make lifelike recordings. The Loudness Wars refers to mixing and mastering techniques that squash music's natural… Full Story »
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Improve the sound of headphones & desktop speakers for $39
The Audiophiliac on CNET &bull Oct 30, 2011
I wasn't expecting much from the Hifiman Express HM-101; it's just a $39 outboard USB digital-to-analog converter and headphone amplifier. Well, this tiny USB-powered (it doesn't need batteries or an AC power supply) device definitely pumped up the sound of my Audio Technica ATH-M50 headphones! They sounded significantly better with the Express than they did… Full Story »
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The best headphones in the world
The Audiophiliac on CNET &bull Oct 22, 2011
The Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2011, held last week at the Denver Marriott Tech Center Hotel, not only showcased a vast array of high-end audio designs, there was a special headphone-oriented show within the show called CanJam. It was a fantastic opportunity to sample the world's best headphones and headphone amplifiers. The energy in the CanJam ballroom was palpable. There's no doubt the headphone market is still expanding at a rapid rate, and anyone who spent some time listening to the latest crop of cutting-edge products had to come away from the experience shaken and stirred. I've raved about the… Full Story »
