A wider view of audio gear
What reviewers agree on.
Where they disagree. What matters to you.
The best-selling on-ear lost its famous bass and gained a 50-hour battery — and reviewers can't agree whether what's left sounds balanced, bright or dull, or whether anyone can wear it for long.
Everyone agrees Noble tamed the original Apollo's bass. Whether that leaves it balanced or still warm — and how good its noise cancelling is — depends on who is listening.
The $25 Chu goes warmer and bassier — half the field hears the easiest budget recommendation going, the other half a muddier sidegrade that isn't the JM-1 set it says it is.
ADAM's smallest DSP monitor: a revealing ribbon top end, a lot of software and surprising punch for a 4-inch — with a measured port dip at 1 kHz and arguments over its treble, its bass and its price.
The amp that measures like test gear — and the long argument over whether that sounds clean or dry.
A $350 twelve-track sequencer for small hybrid rigs — agreed on its value, size and generative tricks, split on whether its screenless, alt-key workflow ever stops being a puzzle, on how readable its white-on-white grid is, and on how rough its launch firmware was.
The dictionary
A boost in the bass and lower mids that gives music a rich, cozy, easy-on-the-ears character.
The perceived three-dimensional space of a recording — how wide, deep, and tall the sound appears.
An emphasis on the upper midrange and treble — vivid, clear, and sometimes sharp.
An even-handed sound with no part of the spectrum pushed forward or held back — balanced and reference-like.
