Gear Patrol

You can always count on the high-end Danish audio maker to deliver products that hit every sense at ounce, and their latest offering, the Playmaker ($425) isn’t shy about being judged inside out. Designed to allow users to wirelessly connect with any Bang & Olufsen digital speakers, this audio bridge offers sound flexibility and quality…

Perch your grail cans (the audio kind) on a home deserving of their stature with the Klutz Design CanCan ($555). Stratospherically priced, this stately, high-design throne offers up a tear-shaped stand that’s hand-crafted in Sweden from solid wood and mounted on a hand-polished aluminum base. With an inset cradle for securing your headphones and two…

Would you pay nearly $10,000 for one of the quietest drum kits in the world? Even if your upstairs neighbors won’t pitch in, the Roland TD-30KV could make it worth every penny. Representing the pinnacle of their V-Drum technology, the Roland RD-30KV represents over 10 years of technology pioneering. These are serious, professional instruments capable…

There are custom headphones and there are custom headphones. With Logitech’s Ultimate Ears Personal Reference Monitors ($1,999), the bar has officially been raised on what should be considered top-notch audio personalization. Not only can you decide on every detail right down to the a choice of four wood veneers, but the specific fit and sound…

If these speaker look like they belong on the side of a jet fighter, then you haven’t heard anything yet. Despite their stratospheric look, the Eclipse TD508 Mk3 can faithfully mimic the sounds of terra-bound sonics using a proprietary Time Domain technology that ensures listeners are ensconced in the heart of a live performance —…

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. At least that’s what Da’Vinci said, and it still holds true today. What better way to show off your domestic affinity and audiophile prowess than with the Aperion Aris Wireless Speaker ($500). The Aris seamlessly integrates into your wireless, or wired home network to enable streaming music from any Windows…

While shiny plastic finishes and big bass beats are the current calling card for a “good” set of cans, there is something to be said about the oft-understated audiophile approach. Pioneer’s just-introduced high-end headwear, the SE-MJ591 ($300), co-mingles a subtle matte finish with brushed aluminum accents and a spec sheet that will have heads bobbing….

The portable speaker has come along way since the rad boombox days of the ‘80s. They’ve gone from resting on your shoulder to fitting in your palm, and can now play tunes from virtually any audio source. Unfortunately, there’s one area where improvements have faltered — sound quality. The NuForce Cube ($119) is a stylish…

Whether your music tastes run to Mahler, Parker, Bowie, or Phoenix, the right set of cans will make the experience more enjoyable. Initial reports suggest that Denon’s recently announced flagship AH-D7100 Artisan headphones are the best over ear offering to date from the lauded audio company — even surpassing the venerable AH-D7000s. Interestingly enough, the…

If “crushing a playlist” is on your bucket list of things to do before you die, you might want to get your pen ready. The Pioneer RMX-1000 Remix Station ($999) is the tool du jour to craft your very own soundtrack-of-the-century. Multiple remixing functions empower DJs with complete control of their tracks, equipping them with…

Sonos’ Play:3 wireless HiFi speakers were a huge hit when they were first released in the middle of last year. Great sounding audio quality from a wireless product isn’t always guaranteed, but the Play:3 did the trick. The one the portable wonder did lack, however, was the added punch of top-drawer bass. Now with the…

As the anchor of the world’s first true wireless high end loudspeaker system, Dynaudio’s XEO 5 Towers ($4,500) break new ground. They’re designed to be used with virtually anything that plays music, including iPhones and iPads, and can be placed up 100 meters away from other audio components — perfect for those of you living…

High-end audio manufacturer Velodyne, known for making some of the best subwoofers on the market over the past few decades, is now bringing the bass even closer to your ears with the vPulse In-Ear Headphones ($90). As you’d expect, the vPulse’s provide incredible sound quality for the price thanks to 10 mm drivers encased in…

It seems even the roadie has been made nearly obsolete in the wake of digital technology. The Line6 POD has been a mainstay in studios and professional live rigs for years, but this latest version, the POD HD, may now convince even the stuffiest of tube-amp worshippers into packing away their giant and costly amplifiers…

Meet the great-great-grandson of the dictaphone — the SpeechMike Air ($500). Specifically designed to meet the enormous demands of document-intensive professionals, the Phillips dictation device is now cordless and packed with some amazing features.   The slick design and comfortable ergonomics complement the crystal clear recording quality and intuitive controls. While a typist isn’t included…

Some of the best sounding speakers could use a pleasing aesthetic touch. A basic black box is nice and simple, but also a tad boring in the realm of desktop audio. If you have a desire for high fidelity and high-end looks, look no further than Well-Rounded Sound. Using full range drivers with 100 Hz…

There are docking stations and then there are docking statements. In a world wrought with crappy auxiliary plug-ins masquerading as “made for iPod” accessories, this would be the latter. No judgment here if you mistook the Jarre AeroPad Two Dock (~$920) for something out of Gattaca, but we think you’ll find that this device has…

The radio alarm clock business has never been a particularly sexy one, not counting, of course, the occasional technological breakthroughs in snooze technology (we set ours at 9 min). But Geneva is waking up the sleepy clock radio industry with the Geneva Sound System Model XS ($250), a slick ultra-compact bluetooth audio system and the…

An all-tube, hand-wired P3 Guitar Amplifier ($650+) isn’t just a nostalgic replica designed to look liked a bad-ass amp from the golden age of rock. It’s built like one too, which means blasting out loud, clear tones, no matter how hard they’re driven or clumsily treated by a half-cocked roadie. Unlike frailer mass-produced amplifiers of…

We covered Schiit’s audiophile grade products before, and now rejoice at the release of the extremely powerful LYR Headphone Amplifier. The LYR is a robust, tube-based amplifier with an incredible 6 watts of power, designed to satisfy the gluttonous needs of high impedance studio cans to unlock their full dynamic range. Just in case you…

We’re not designers by trade, but we’re pretty sure there’s a rule that says the addition of wood only makes products more beautiful. The Meze Classics headphones are a perfect example, and lend credence to our lumber-loving design ethos. The Meze headphone line is the creation of award-winning industrial designer, Antonio Meze. Available in three…

Ask any studio engineer worth his ponytail about Adam speakers, and they will tell you their monitors have populated some of the best recording facilities in the world for years. The reason for this is a passion for forward thinking design and revolutionary use of materials, such as carbon fiber diaphragms and ribbon transducers. While…

Logitech has a new dog in the iOS speaker fight. Teaming up with Ultimate Ears — best known for the ubiquitous in-ear monitors you see worn by everyone from Bono to Bieber — the Logitech UE Air Speaker ($400) is a single-unit sound system whose engineers are out to prove that it has equal parts…

Pioneer’s 2011 VSX 1021-K was the first receiver to integrate AirPlay. The company’s latest crop of 2012 receivers continues to chase the cutting edge, bringing AirPlay to all but the lowest end of the lineup. While all of the four midrange models have their own appeal, the sweet spot in our opinion is the VSX-822-K…

Anyone on a budget looking to wade into the world of portable headphone hi-fi should take a good Pei Mei stare at Fiio. In the audio community, the upstart brand is known for providing unbeatable value, and their latest E17 Alpen USB DAC Headphone Amplifier ($140) is no exception. Boasting inputs for mini USB, AUX,…

Audio manufacturers started using the term “high fidelity” in the 1950s as a marketing technique to help grow consumer interest in home stereos. Thanks to the new buzz word and a concerted industry push, the consumer home audio world soon entered “The Golden Age of Hi-Fi” in the 1960s. It was during this boom when…

After six years diligently serving the needs of upper-crust home theater fans everywhere, Bowers & Wilkins has finally decided to retool their Mini Theater System. The new M-1 loudspeaker features all new drivers including a tweeter designed in-house, and the same Anti-Resonance Plug found in the brand’s higher-end PM1 bookshelf monitor. The speaker wire connections…

Adding this component to your home audio system can unveil new layers of realism to sounds and vastly improve your listening experience, even if you already own most expensive gear out there. How and why the DEQX HDP-Express ($1,950) works is a bit complicated, so we’ll spare you the lengthy audio lesson and stick with…

Headphones are the new status symbol in a world where everyone owns the exact same phone. So it’s not surprising that Parrot, maker of a wide range of random accessories for mobile devices including a remote controlled helicopter drone and the Asteroid car audio receiver, decided to enter the fray. Like the $1,500 Zikmu iPod…

Flash back to 1984. Prince still went by Prince and was ruling the music charts. Ralph put the macho in Macchio by laying the hurt on Cobra Kai. A former hollywood actor was just reaching the middle of his tenure in the oval office. And Koss introduced what would become one of the most iconic…