A/V Product Reviews

Hifiman recognizes the lack of “audiophile” grade Bluetooth headphones and has decided to change that with their Ananda-BT offering. Read our review to see if they’ve pulled it off.

Dan Clark Audio’s new flagship headphone is the Stealth ($4,000). This closed-back planar magnetic headphone is the first in the world to use metamaterial technology. To find out more, read on.

Today we review Monoprice's Monolith 13" THX Ultra Sub. The latest addition to the Monolith THX family raises the bar on Monolith subs in every respect with just a slight price increase. Read on.

Huge news at CEDIA 2021! Consumer budgeted receivers like Onkyo's TX-RZ50 have integrated Dirac Live for room calibration and full HDMI 2.1 support on ALL inputs. Is this the hot AVR for 2021?

Reviewing the RBH Sound Limited Edition SVTRS active speaker system has been a transformative experience. Few consumer loudspeakers can match its dynamics, bass extension, transparency and overall fidelity.

The Cambridge Audio Evo 75 ($2,250) and Evo 150 ($3,000) are compact, Class D streaming amps that aim to deliver audiophile performance from a “lifestyle” all-in-one package.

Our review of the Perlisten D215s dual driver, push pull subwoofer proved it to be one of the most advanced and accurate on the planet per decibel of output as well as per cubic foot of space.

Focal released their On Wall 301 and 302 speakers which offer easy mounting and a slick sleek design but do they keep the brands reputation for HiFi audio? Read on to find out.

The Arendal 1723 Monitor looks great and Arendal claims a very high sound and build quality for its price, but is that real or just marketing fluff? Read our in-depth review to find out.

Polk Audio has a new line of competitively priced speakers, the Monitor XT. With eight different sizes to choose from, prices start at $150/pair for height channels, and $600/pair of towers. Read on.

$10,000 is a lot of dosh for a pair of bookshelf speakers. What if they are among the most finely constructed bookshelf speakers on Earth? Such is the case with Focal's Sopra No1 bookshelf speakers.

Bowers and Wilkins revamped their 800 Series with their D4 Diamond Range. The B&W loudspeaker line has 7 new models to choose from including 2 center channels and a flagship $35k/pair 801 D4 tower.

The Cherry Audio MEGAschino Mk2 Standard Edition Class D Amplifier is energy efficient, boasting SOTA specs and gobs of power output (>400wpc, 8 ohms). Is it worth the $6k price? Read our review.

Focal announced the release of their Aria K2 906 bookshelf ($1,990/pr) and Aria center channel ($1,190/ea) to add to the impressive Aria 936 floorstanding speaker that debuted last year. Read on.

Perlisten's S7t flagship THX Certified Dominus tower speakers have made leaps in technology that have some folks going so far as to question their reality and our reviewer calling them endgame products.

Subwoofer specialists REL released info on their new T/x Subs. The compact T/5x ($679), the step-up T/7x ($1,099), and the range-topping T/9x ($1,449)offer new amps, drivers and cabinets. Read on.

The JBL L100 Classics have the look of the L100 Centurys updated with the latest in loudspeaker design for improved performance. Our review determines if they surpass the originals to create a new legacy.

Andrew Jones left Elac to pursue a “fantastic opportunity” elsewhere. Meanwhile, Elac announced the Solano series loudspeakers which feature Elac's JET5 Air Motion Transformer tweeter. Read on.

SVS has totally redesigned their entry-level powered subwoofers in the PB-1000 Pro and SB-1000 Pro. Our review reveals these subs go well beyond entry-level performance. Read on to find out how.

Polk Audio released information on their new Signature Elite Speakers. The Elite series come in eight different models certified high res/Atmos ranging from a $250/pair surrounds to $550/each tower.

The Polk Audio Legend L800’s w/ SDA Pro reflect the next evolution in Polk's long obsessions with cross-talk cancellation technology. Is this their best effort yet? Check out the review to find out.

Blinding glare on your new UHD TV can be frustrating. Check out our review of Crestron automated window treatments to see how these innovative shades can help with your home theater glare.

We reviewed the 16 channel Monoprice Monolith HTP-1 AV Processor to see how it performed. With ALL 3 immersive surround formats supported and a future upgrade path to 8K, is this the processor to beat?

TCL’s affordable 6-Series TVs will be all 8K in 2021. The TCL lineup for this year will ALL be 8K and includes a trio of 85-inch TVs starting at $1,600 and an improved mini-LED backlighting system.

We reviewed the Revel Performa F226Be, a three-way floor-standing speaker, and the C426Be, a monster three-way center speaker using four 6.5" bass drivers to see if they live up to the brand reputation.

Mytek is on track to launch 9 new audiophile products before the end of 2021. The biggest change comes to the company’s streaming DACs, which now run on a new Mytek OS with an integrated Roon Core.

The RBH Sound PM-8 is a DSP driven 2-way active studio monitor that offers tremendous performance intended for pro-audio. We reviewed these speakers to see how they also work for home audio environment.

This is a round up of some of the best bookshelf speakers we've found for 2021 based on performance, specs, aesthetics and reputation. Read on to find what's right for you.

The ADAM Audio T7V Active Speakers are nearfield monitors ($500/pair). We reviewed them to determine IF they sound as good as they look and IF they serve home audio applications as well as the studio.

JBL commemorates its 75th anniversary with a slew of new loudspeakers, a bone crushing subwoofer and an integrated amplifier sporting Dirac Live room correction. Are they living up to their heritage.

SVS completely revamped their 2000 series with the release of their 2000 Pro subwoofers. We can report that the 2000 Pro subs are far more improved than just adding a smartphone app. Read on.

The new Bose Videobar VB1 is a USB conferencing device that combines microphones, speakers, and a 4K ultra-HD camera. The VB1 uses “beam-steering microphones” that focus on voices and rejects noise.

The Marantz SR8015 11.2CH Atmos/DTS:X Pro HDMI 2.1 AV receiver is built on a very solid platform with benchmark measured performance. Is this the best AVR for 2020? Read our review to find out.

Definitive Technology announced the Descend Series subwoofers with 4 models ranging from 8” to 15” drivers and dual passive radiators. They are armed with "Intelligent Phase Control” to optimize setup.

The PreSonus Eris E8 XT monitors are beefy speakers that sport an 8" fiber-woven woofer, a waveguide-loaded 1.25" dome tweeter, and 140 watts of onboard amplification. How do they sound? Read on.

Denon’s PMA-A110 Integrated amplifier is a finely crafted piece of audio gear that sounds as good as it looks while delivering more power than its modest 80wpc rating suggests. Read our review to see why.

Will the 4-way Legacy Audio Signature SE floorstanding speakers allow me to achieve my audiophile realization of my last new speakers? Read our review to find out.

Looking for a new set of dedicated gaming headphones? Check out our review of the $180 EPOS Sennheiser Game Zero gaming headset to see how they fall on the cost vs quality line.

How much performance can be had from a reasonably sized cabinet? With a 2,400 watt amplifier and an 18" driver with 4" of peak-to-peak excursion, the RS1 Captivator from JTR gives a lot! Read on.

Focal announced a new lineup of in-wall and in-ceiling speakers called the 1000 Series. These are the most advanced and most capable in-wall speakers the company has ever built. Are these SOTA, unseen?

We reviewed the Kali Audio LP-8 powered studio monitor loudspeakers to determine if pro-audio equipment can be used with excellence in home audio applications.

Four pairs of IEMs are compared, including the Samsung Buds, Jabra Elite 65T, Sennheiser Momentum and relative newcomer Soundcore Liberty Pro 2. Read our review to see how the Liberty Pro 2 compare.

Definitive Technology Demand D15 Tower Speaker are beautifully crafted and sound terrific. But, how do they compare to the similarly priced BP-9000 in their product line? Read our review to find out.

Sound United released two upgraded flagships, the Denon AVR-X8500HA and Marantz AV8805A and an upgrade path for existing hardware that will bring full HDMI 2.1 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz support.

Are you a high tech gear junkie with a pool? Check out Hayward Industries pHin Smart Water Monitor.The pHin checks your pool chemistry 1,000 times a week and send the results to your phone. Read on.

Yamaha’s new 2021 lineup of AV Aventage receivers including the RX-A8A, RX-A6A and RX-A4A. They offer upgraded DAC’s, 8K support and beefier amplifier sections. Are these a new reference standard?

The RBH Sound Ultra-3 is a high-performance passive soundbar with a super clean look that is custom cut to fit your TV. $1,232 isn't budget friendly, but does its performance justify its price?

French company Reavon is developing a pair of conspicuously Oppo-like UHD Blu-ray players. The UBR-X100 (€800) and UBR-X200 (€1,600) are slated to arrive in Europe soon! Will they be the next OPPO?

The JBL HDI-3800 84lb beast of a floorstanding speaker features triple 8" bass drivers and an advanced compression driver and waveguide. We review it to determine if it lives up to the JBL heritage.

Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition (HE) features the wireless streaming architecture and design of Uniti Atom with reworked power supply, and headphone outputs. Read our review to see why it sets the bar.

The L200 are Polk's latest high-end bookshelf speaker, and the L400 is the Legend center speaker. Both boast many of the state-of-the-art advances. Check out our detailed review of both here.

Rotel released a pair of Michi Class-AB integrated amps: the Michi X3 ($4,999) and X5 ($6,999). For entry-level customers, there is the A11 integrated amp ($799) and CD11 CD player ($599). Read on.

We built and tested the Creative Sound Solutions SDX12 Subwoofer kit. Does the DIY 12" sealed subwoofer kit buy you more performance than commercial offerings? Read on to find out.

Focal Arche is a pre-amp/DAC, headphone amplifier with two 32-bit AK4490 DACs and two separate 1W @ 32-ohm amplifiers to power your headphones with pristine clarity. How does it sound? Read on.

Yamaha is on their 3rd generation of separates in the Aventage line with their new 11-channel CX-A5200 AV Processor and MX-A5200 amplifier. Read our review to find out if they are a worthy successor.

Wharfedale introduced its revamped budget friendly Diamond 12 Series of loudspeakers with new drivers, crossovers, and cabinets with improved bracing. Best bang for the buck speaker series? Read on.