Featured Reviews

Are the Sonomax PSC-250 Sculpted eers the best ear-buds I've tested? Yes. By far. Of course, that's a short list right now. But even when comparing them with my full sized Denon AH-D1000 and Audio-Technica ATH-M50 headphones, the Sonomax come out on top. They may not have the flattest frequency response, but they have a very full and rich sound and is a joy to experience. The molded earpieces means that you've got a set of earbuds that are tailored just for you and, paired with the earhooks, will take an act of extreme violence to get them off your head. If you are looking for high-end audio even when working out, check out the Sonomax PSC-250 Sculpted eers. You won't be disappointed.

The XL7F’s are a three-way, four driver, floorstanding loudspeaker system from a relatively unknown Canadian manufacturer. At around $1k/pair, they’d seem to be a pretty good deal from their specs on paper. But imagine our surprise when we realized they actually cost under $500/pair delivered to your door with a lifetime warranty! In tough economic times, it’s always refreshing to find bargains to help fellow budget-minded Audioholics reach their goals of sonic nirvana. While the Fluance XL7F’s don’t represent the pinnacle of loudspeaker technology compared to some price-no-object systems, they get about as close to that goal as any floorstanding speaker in this price class and arguably even a good amount more. If you’re looking for an attractive, well put together floorstanding speaker that will give you plenty of bass and good sound on the cheap, give these babies a try. Highly Recommended!

For almost 19 years, Bose has been successfully marketing their Wave Radio Music System. Over the years, they've added new features such as a CD player, and alarm functionality and even color options. Today when we logged into the Audioholics Facebook page we noticed a post from Bose linking to their "new" Wave Music System III along with the following quote "It’s not a makeover … more like a make better. Bose Wave music system III." We were interested to determine whether or not any audio enhancements have been made to this unit, so we opened up a chat window with a friendly Bose support staff member to get the scoop.

MartinLogan is typically known for their hybrid-electrostatic loudspeakers; however, they are now trying their hand at more traditional speakers, with a twist. The Martin Logan LX16 two-way bookshelf speakers ($799 pr.) utilize a proprietary Folded Motion tweeter. Martin Logan has reached a new price point, and consumer demographic, with the entire Motion Series. I found the LX16s to stand up to the MartinLogan name. No, the LX16s cannot really compare to MartinLogan’s iconic hybrid electrostats, but they shouldn’t be expected to at only a fraction of the cost. The LX16s have a beautiful finish, excellent aesthetics, and come in a reasonably small package. The 5.25” midrange driver hammers out a surprising amount of bass, and the Folded Motion tweeter is crisp and clean, if not a little bright. These speakers would work great in a standalone 2.1 system, or as main speakers in a 5.1 system. If you are in the market for good speakers with above average looks, give these a listen.

Aperion Audio, who is known for making loudspeakers and delling them direct-to-consumer, has done something different. It's developed a wireless speaker for Windows. That's right, not for AirPlay, but for Windows devices. Today they gave Microsoft employees a sneak preview of this newest wireless speaker, the Aperion ARIS. The ARIS lets digital music lovers listen to their tunes from any room in their home. They simply place the speaker where they want it and connect via wireless or Ethernet to their home network using the Windows 7 (or Windows 8 Consumer Preview) operating system.

So, I hear your wife won't let you install a real 5.1 system in her living room... Wait, let me try that again. So you're in an apartment and can't hang those surround speakers on your ceiling... Whatever the reason, soundbars are a viable alternative for those who - try as they might - can't pull off a true discrete speaker system. We were kinda excited about this Soundbar because it's from harman/kardon. Those guys know speakers. It didn't mean that this one, the harman/kardon SB 16 Active Speaker Soundbar would necessarily sound great - but it definitely gave it a fighting chance.

Somebody needs to put AirPlay into a car audio system. Cause that's about the only place we haven't seen it yet. In fact, Apple's wireless technology seems to be steadily infiltrating the home audio segment. We'd say Gear4 is jumping on the bandwagon, but they're too early to market to slap that on them - they're one of the pioneers. So this is Gear4's new AirZone Series 1. It's a stereo speaker that can dock your iOS device, stream music from AirPlay, take audio from an auxiliary source, play FM radio and it smells like bacon. It doesn't really smell like bacon, but if it did I would totally buy it. I would.

Usually whenever a company tasks their development team with creating a new product whether it might be a powered subwoofer, amplifier or speaker, there are some goals or restrictions outlined during the planning stage. Perhaps a certain price point, form factor, or feature set, or there may be certain performance goals that need to be met. Often the goals set forth may be a combination of some or all of the aforementioned. If the final product is in many ways a reflection of its design goals, in the case of Paradigm’s Signature Sub 2 it appears that the design team was given directive to “push the envelope”. What emerged is a beastly subwoofer with an unusual hexagon shaped enclosure which bristles with no less than six overbuilt Paradigm designed 10” drivers sporting a collective 150lbs of motor arranged in a force cancelling array, an amplifier in need of a 240v line to produce its maximum continuous output of 4.5 kilowatts and an MSRP of a cool $8,999. Unsurprisingly, neither output headroom nor deep bass extension is in short supply here and achieving Audioholic’s Extreme room size rating was no problem for Paradigm’s top bass maker. However impressive the substantial output capabilities of the Signature Sub 2 are even more impressive were its top quality finishing, attention grabbing appearance, surprisingly compact size and squeaky clean sonic performance with its contribution always remaining implacably neutral regardless of material or output level demands. Paradigm’s Signature Sub 2 provided a powerful, dynamic and engaging low end presence with reference quality and quantity, proving itself to be a truly statement level product.

The thing to remember about the Sony XBA-1iP in-ear headphones is that they are half the price of either of the reference models. Their comfort level was good, though I never forgot I was wearing them. The bass response was more than adequate and the midrange, while not as rich as the reference models, was still very good. Sitting at my desk, I'd prefer one of my other headphones. But outside, or when I might be expecting a call, the Sony XBA-1iP in-ear headphones are a fine choice. At $100 MSRP (likely less in the store), they are almost an impulse buy. At this price, they are a very nice second pair at a reasonable price. Recommended!