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Introduction There are products that arrive with careful PR management, measured expectations, and a polite round of applause from the press. And then there are products that land like a fist on a table — ones that make you put down whatever you were doing and actually listen. The MC X40 is the top model in Ortofon's new MC X range, and it proves to be by far the best in absolute terms — sacrificing some of the rough-and-ready character of the lesser models for a sound that

This Review was written by Kristina Savić Disclamer After a while it is time for me to review my No1 outdoor source of audio joy. Thanks to my audio reviewer colleagues who were willing to send me this DAP for an honest review, here we are. There are no expectations made upon me and nor am I biased towards this product. I just write what I observe from personal experience. Introduction Hidizs has been a well known player in this audio world for 17 years and they have set the

This Review was written by Kristina Savić Disclaimer Although there are some manufacturers of IEMs that I really like and respect, due to their constant quality implementation or build philosophy or development direction, I am always ready to accept there there are flaws and I am in no position to be stopped in speaking about it, so these are my thoughts, not compensated or influenced by anyone. Introduction Being in business for more than 15 years Hidizs have stated by their

Fosi now carry many hats, but for one or other reasone they never truly tap their toes in market that is most popular in HIFI, and that is a streamer market. Fosi build amps, and then came headphone amplifiers, DAC/amp combos, a turntable, and now this: the S3, a network streamer with a built-in DAC and preamp stage, priced at $259.99 and aimed squarely at the digital front end of a serious two-channel system. Fosi Audio has spent the last few years building a name around com

Introduction: FiiO's Unlikely Vinyl Ambition There's a certain audacity to FiiO entering the turntable market at all. The company built its reputation on digital — dongles, DAPs, DAC/amps — things with chips and firmware and USB-C ports. Analog is philosophically the opposite direction. Vinyl demands patience, physical ritual, mechanical precision engineered in the analogue domain. It doesn't update over Wi-Fi. And yet, FiiO's presence in the turntable category is no longer a

Here is a particular conversation that happens whenever Fosi Audio releases something new, and it goes roughly like this: "It can't be that good for the money. Can it?" For nearly a decade now, the answer has been "yes, mostly," and that "mostly" has been doing an extraordinary amount of work in carrying the brand from a Shenzhen Class D amplifier specialist into something that looks, at least on paper, like a full hi-fi systems company. Crisis of Identity The Merak is the mo

I admire Luxsin, a brand-new company on the hi-fi market, and with just one device they did it right. The success of the X9 lay in the combination of great sonics, a very forward-thinking UI, intuitive software and features, really great build quality, and price. And that last thing — price — might not be the best highlight you can have, but considering what I already mentioned, alongside a high-end DAC and great headphone amplification, it really is a true flagship that offe

EH lineup continues to impress Hello once again, FiiO EH family of headphones... headphone. Everyone was so impressed by your older brother EH11, your smaller, thinner, and cheaper but nonetheless older brother. And there are big shoes of expectations for you to fill. And I am also in that boat of expecting a lot from you, I loved EH11. Telling by just holding you, well you are not giving a run for the money for more expensive models, but this is just an okay plasticky build,

Intro Thieaudio is a brand most of us first met in the IEM aisle. The Monarch line, the Hype series — these are the products that helped shape what a modern, premium Chi-Fi in-ear looks and sounds like. Full-sized headphones have been a more sporadic affair for them, which is exactly why the new Cypher arrives with a curious mixture of expectation and quiet skepticism. At a $399 MSRP, the Cypher lands squarely in the most contested corner of the open-back market — the same co

FiiO has spent the last few years transforming itself from a “budget portable audio brand” into something much bigger. And with the new K17 R2R Pro, it feels like the company is now aiming directly at the serious desktop audiophile market. This isn’t just another DAC/amp. It’s: DAC streamer headphone amplifier EQ workstation desktop control hub …all packed into one relatively compact chassis. And honestly? This might be one of the most feature-loaded desktop audio products Fi

After my time with the AUVA EQ isolators, I was fairly sure I had figured out Stack Audio's whole design philosophy: take a principle from mechanical engineering that has been well understood for decades outside of hi-fi, apply it intelligently to an audio component, and let the measurements do the talking. The Serene Mat and Serene Stabiliser confirm that hunch — but they also take the same approach into a much stranger and more interesting environment: the groove of a vinyl

Introduction There is a quiet conviction in everything Sivga makes. The Dongguan-based outfit has, since its founding in 2016, refused to participate in the race-to-the-bottom aesthetics that define so much of the budget headphone market. Where others reach for matte plastics and edgy industrial silhouettes, Sivga reaches for rosewood, Zebrawood, hand-polished metal, and a kind of quiet, neo-retro elegance that feels closer to a vintage hi-fi cabinet than to a 2026 consumer e

For decades, “wireless audio” has mostly meant one thing: wireless music… connected to speakers with giant cables running across your floor. Now Pro-Ject is trying something genuinely different. Its new Wireless Box E flips the usual streaming amplifier concept upside down by attaching a compact mono amplifier directly onto the back of a passive speaker—eliminating the need for traditional speaker cable runs almost entirely. And honestly? This might be one of the more interes

If you follow this channel, you will know that I did a report from the Shenzhen International Audio Show. And I had a few picks of my favourite gear. First was Sendy Audio Peacock, but in hindsight that was probably because it was synergised with the great Kylin DAC/AMP. But the second one was none other than the Matrix Audio TS1 streamer. I loved how it looks, how it feels like a premium build, I liked the interface, I liked the really good headphone output, and I of course

Topping DX9 Discrete — deep dive news + analysis Topping isn’t just releasing another DAC here—it’s making a clear statement: we’re done playing inside the usual chip-DAC sandbox. The DX9 Discrete is a full desktop control center built around a proprietary discrete conversion architecture, and it’s aimed straight at users who want maximum control, power, and flexibility in one box. This is less of a “DAC upgrade” and more of a system replacement component. What the DX9 Discre

A dedicated disc spinner built around precision playback, modern digital processing, and classic hi-fi values. With the introduction of the NAD C 589, NAD Electronics is doubling down on something many thought was fading away: the compact disc. And it’s doing so without trying to reinvent the category. A focused return to physical media The NAD C 589 joins NAD’s Classic Series as a dedicated CD player, designed with a clear purpose: Extract the maximum performance from your C

A familiar streamer on the outside—completely different on the inside. With the new Shanling SM1.3R, Shanling is taking an interesting turn: keeping its proven streaming platform intact while swapping in a very different DAC architecture. Same design, new core philosophy At a glance, the Shanling SM1.3R looks identical to the earlier SM1.3: 5.8-inch touchscreen Compact desktop chassis Android-based streaming system Same connectivity and layout But internally, this is not a mi

My story with Hegel has been a rollercoaster of happiness and disappointments. But one thing was always a constant during all those years, is that at higher levels Hegel created amps like no other. But the big problem is always the value, as they hold quite the hefty premium to get great all-arounders. I am speaking from H190v and onward. I always believed that the value Hegel represented was more than justified. They offer unique technology, great sound, great looks, all in

A feature-packed 7.2-channel receiver that doubles down on usability, gaming, and wireless flexibility—without crossing the $1,000 line. With the introduction of the Denon AVR-S980H , Denon is refining—not reinventing—its popular S-Series formula. And that’s very intentional. This is about making home theater easier, not more complicated. A familiar formula, tightened where it counts The Denon AVR-S980H replaces the AVR-S970H, staying in the same price tier (~$949), but addi

A bigger, sharper, more ambitious take on one of the most popular powered speaker lineups. With the unveiling of the Kanto Tuk Grand , Kanto Audio is doing something it hasn’t really done before: Pushing beyond “great value desktop audio” into something that looks a lot more like serious hi-fi territory . From crowd favorite to flagship statement Kanto has built its reputation on accessible, well-designed speakers like: Yu series Ora Ren Tuk Now, the Kanto Tuk Grand becomes