My first encounter with the Fosi Audio brand was online. Late last year, HiFiReport decided to expand its services beyond its established written reviews by launching an official video channel. While this step was taken a bit later than some, we’ve been fortunate enough to see some initial success – we’re easily pleased! This success…
If there were an award for uniquely designed products that leave a lasting impression, this year’s vote would go to the Anthem MRX SLM. This is, without a doubt, the lightest and thinnest 5.1 channel surround amplifier I have ever encountered. It is the undisputed king of slim and lightweight! The Ultra-Light, Ultra-Slim King of…
Ray Audio, a name synonymous with quality audio equipment from Hwa Ke Sound, has once again captivated the audiophile community. Following the successful launch of their 2A3 PP amplifier at the 2025 Audio Show, a clear demand emerged for a more powerful rendition featuring the iconic 300B tube. Catering to the fervent requests of their…
You are settling in for a movie night, popcorn in hand. The opening scene begins, and suddenly the dialogue is a whisper. You grab the remote and crank the volume up to 40. Moments later, an explosion scene hits, and the sound blasts so loud it rattles the windows, sending you scrambling to turn it…
You invested in a 5.1 or 7.1 home theater system to bring the cinema experience into your living room. You spent an afternoon crawling behind the TV stand, running wires under rugs, and mounting speakers on the wall. Finally, you sit down to watch an action movie, expecting to be enveloped in a 360-degree soundfield….
There is a specific moment of dread that every audiophile eventually encounters. You sit down in your listening position, cue up a familiar track—perhaps a jazz standard with intricate cymbal work or a classical piece with soaring violins—and something feels wrong. The sparkle is gone. The “air” that usually surrounds the instruments has vanished, replaced…
There are few audio frustrations more annoying than putting on your favorite pair of headphones only to find that the music is drifting to the left or right. Channel imbalance—where one side is quieter than the other, or completely silent—can ruin the immersion of a great song or the competitive edge in a video game….
Imagine spending hours meticulously setting up your home audio system, only to be greeted by a persistent, low-frequency hum whenever the music stops. Or perhaps, during a favorite song, the bass feels disjointed, weak, or strangely disconnected from the rest of the track. You feel the vibration in the floor, but the notes themselves seem…
There is perhaps nothing more frustrating for an audio enthusiast than investing time, money, and passion into a high-fidelity system, only to sit down for a listening session and hear… crunch. That subtle fuzz around the vocals, the harshness in the cymbal crashes, or the muddy, undefined bass that sounds nothing like the tight rhythm…
I had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of two particular headphones for review in our office. Then, last month, I received an intriguing invitation from Focal’s distributor, Onkyo, to visit the MUSEND headphone store in Taipei’s Ximending district. The purpose? A listening session for the closed-back Azurys headphones. While I’ve attended numerous headphone events before,…
While condenser microphones often steal the spotlight in discussions about high-quality audio recording, there’s a wealth of excellent dynamic microphones on the market capable of delivering equally impressive results. Dynamic mics offer distinct advantages: they’re straightforward to connect, intuitive to use, and significantly more affordable than their condenser counterparts for similar applications. Choose the right…
Historically, true wireless earbuds were often seen as products prioritizing convenience, with acoustic design taking a backseat compared to over-ear headphones. However, the Pi8 and Pi6 are different. It’s said that to overcome the inherent size limitations of in-ear monitors and achieve a more expansive soundstage, B&W specifically enlisted the design teams behind their acclaimed…
It’s clear that whether you’re listening to CDs, Hi-Res audio files, or streaming platforms, the most dedicated audiophiles recognize the necessity of isolating the DAC from the source component. This is why, despite the rapid evolution of audio technology, the “pure DAC” remains a timeless product category. Even with current digital-to-analog conversion technology being quite…
The Z95A series includes the 55-inch TV-55Z95AGT reviewed here and the 65-inch model, the TV-65Z95AGT. The primary difference between them, aside from size, is the built-in front speaker array, where the 65-inch model has 10 Watts more power than the 55-inch. All other features and performance aspects are virtually identical. For brevity, I will refer…
Moon is a Canadian audio manufacturer based in Quebec. I had the opportunity to visit Moon twice, in 2010 and 2013. Their factory spans over 41,000 square feet. For a high-end audio company, Moon’s facility is genuinely large. Beyond its size, their level of self-sufficiency is remarkably high; almost everything they can manufacture themselves is…
Before delving into the Coltrane Quintet SE, let’s take a brief look back at Marten’s history. Founded in Sweden in 1998 by Leif Mårten Olofsson, the Olofsson family has long-standing ties to music. His grandfather, Josef Olofsson, was a violin maker aspiring to craft instruments like those of Stradivari, while his maternal grandfather was a…
When it comes to the principles of CD playback, achieving great sound primarily boils down to three key elements: the disc transport mechanism, the reading architecture, and the digital output circuitry. If these aspects are well-designed and high-quality components are used, you can largely achieve a satisfactory sound-to-price ratio. Streaming playback, however, is a different…
There are few things more frustrating in the world of home entertainment than investing time and money into a high-fidelity audio system, only to sit down, press play, and hear a persistent, low-frequency drone. That annoying “buzzzzz” or “hummmmm” that persists even when the music is paused can ruin the immersive experience of a movie…