Home Hi-Fi

You love great music, and there’s a good chance you listen to a lot of it. Now it’s time to pair your tunes with equally great gear.

Before wandering into the hi-fi shop, understand what you’re looking for.

Everyone deserves a home theater. We put together kits at $2,000, $5,000, and $20,000.

Meridian’s new 25th Anniversary Special Edition DSP8000 loudspeakers cost $80,000.

The typical beef with earbuds is that they sound worse than similarly priced over- or on-ear headphones. That’s not to say audio engineers haven’t figured out how to squeeze spectacular sound out of a diminutive package, there’s just usually a hefty premium for having your cake and eating it too.

Format, quality and compression: three important factors in how to listen better.

Audioengine’s original A2 speakers launched in 2008 and were immediately showered with praise. They were sized to feel right at home on a desk but also boasted smart design decisions and spectacular sound quality, both of which were more in line with traditional bookshelf speakers or studio monitors.

Pursue perfection. Some people — people at the top of their games — consider it a personal mantra.

There’s no shortage of speakers vying for your computer’s affections. The trouble is, most have land grab aspirations that put Ted Turner’s to shame.

Originally designed to play music on only their own products, Apple’s AirPlay technology now allows users to stream multimedia from iPhones, iPads and computers to any enabled HDTV or speaker system via wi-fi. Because Apple now allows third parties to use their tech, myriad standalone speaker systems designed specifically for AirPlay are on the market: some are better than others, and they all span the price and design spectra.

Aquaman's Walkman

Tubes for your tube

Vinyl that's music to our eyes

Putting off aires

Canned Goods

Cantastic

Wi(reless)-Fi

Hi-Fi Noon

Pro sound, amateur setup

Sound, your way