audiophile

Stunning view comes with top display and killer KEF sound [Setups]

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David David Heinemeier Hansson's Mac mini setup with Pro Display XDR and KEF speakers.
Hansson's setup in Malibu, CA, features a Mac mini mounted behind a Pro Display XDR and a phenomenal set of KEF speakers.
Photo: DHH@X.com

Developer David Heinemeier Hansson, known for creating the Ruby on Rails web development framework, showcased his rather stunning Mac mini computer setup this week on X (formerly Twitter).

The extraordinary 6K graphics of his Studio Display XDR and the articulate sound of his highly recommended KEF speakers complement the ocean views through the glass walls of his California office.

Get serious about sound with Sennheiser’s new wired earbuds

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Sennheiser's new IE 600 wired earbuds are aimed at audiophiles.
Sennheiser's new IE 600 wired earbuds are aimed at audiophiles.
Photo: Sennheiser

Ready to call yourself an audiophile? Sound maven Sennheiser debuts its new IE 600 “audiophile earbuds” on Tuesday. These things are truly wired for sound. As in, they’re literally wired, not wireless. And while they cost less than Sennheiser’s flagship IE 900 earbuds, they’re not cheap.

But at launch you can only get the IE 600s in Europe. The U.S. launch comes in summer 2022.

Here comes the world’s first LDAC and aptX HD Bluetooth speaker

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The Acro BE100's support for hi-res codecs and quality build may actually justify the high price.
The Acro BE100's support for hi-res codecs and quality build may actually justify the high price.
Photo: Astell&Kern

A world where Bluetooth rises above compression and delivers full-stream, hi-res, lossless audio remains in the future. But sound specialist Astell&Kern said it’s about the roll out the world’s first Bluetooth speaker with support for the rarefied LDAC and aptX HD codecs — which should at least allow for CD-quality wireless streaming.

The Acro BE100, Astell&Kern’s first Bluetooth speaker, goes on sale March 7, the company said. And it’s not just the codecs that make it special.

Sonus Faber Omnia could be your new do-it-all wireless streaming speaker

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If you can afford it, the new Sonus Faber Omnia could be your new all-around hi-fi audio player.
If you can afford it, the new Sonus Faber Omnia could be your new all-around hi-fi audio player.
Photo: Sonus Faber

“Omnia” means “prepared for all things” in Latin. The 40-year-old Italian audio brand Sonus Faber tries to live up to that with its new Omnia all-in-one wireless streaming speaker. It joins the fray in a fast-growing market for compact but premium systems.

The Omnia has built-in support for practically all streaming sources and you can hook up almost any audio-related hardware to it.

Did I mention it costs two grand? Well, there are reasons for that price point.

Swanky Master & Dynamic launches its first gaming headset

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The MG20 gaming headset costs $450.
The MG20 gaming headset costs $450.
Photo: Master & Dynamic

Premium audio brand Master & Dynamic adds gamers to its client list with the release of its first-ever headset for e-sports, the MG20 Wireless Gaming Headphones. Of course, being good for gamers almost certainly makes these cans a solid choice for anyone wanting high-quality noise-cancelling headphones for music and communication, too.

Kanto YU2 Media Speakers: Astounding, Room-Wrecking Sound From Small Speakers [Review]

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YU2 by Kanto
Category: media speakers
Price: $229

Kanto’s YU2s seem to come from a time when speakers were solid, simple structures; proud temples to sound that said of their owners, Hey, I’m serious about music, and I know what I’m doing. Aesthetics were important, of course, but unquestioningly took a backseat to sound. Sound was king.

If you haven’t heard of Kanto before, that’s OK — the Canadian outfit just sprouted up in the Vancouver suburbs around five years ago. The YU2s are Kanto’s latest speakers, the smallest of their lineup of a half-dozen or so, and they’re designed to fit unobtrusively on a bookshelf or desk and play music from your computer or mobile device.

The YU2’s performance during our review, however, was nothing short of astonishing — and they could very capably substitute for larger speakers in a variety of roles.

Audiofly Goes All-In With Handful of New High-End Earphones [CES 2013]

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The new Audiofly AF160. Somebody spent a looooong time setting this photo up.

Australian earphone-maker Audiofly was just a fledgling outfit with scarcely a handful of models and a shaky toehold in the earphone market when I first encountered a year ago at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show. After I had a chance to spend some quality time with what was then the company’s flagship set, the fantastic AF78s, I was pretty certain that, if the company did eventually fail, it would be in spite of the brand’s quality — not because of it.

But they didn’t fail. Now here they are, a year after debuting at CES, with a trio of new, more expensive additions — all decadently equipped with multiple drivers and balanced armatures — that shove the AF78 into the middle of their lineup.

Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 Earphones: Pinch Me, I’m Dreaming! [Review]

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So far it’s been pretty consistent: Each time we review a set of Ultimate Ears ‘phones, the bar leaps up a few notches as our expectations regarding the outfit’s offerings rise. After reviewing the 350, 700, and especially the 600vi — which garnered a best-in-class verdict — we were expecting the TripleFi 10 ($400) to slay vampires and cure cancer.

Of Ultimate Ears’ more serious offerings — and by serious, I’m referring to UE’s armature-equipped models, which start at $100 — the TripleFi 10 is by far the most serious, with three drivers and a crossover in each ear, pro-level detachable leads, the thickest cable we’ve ever seen on an IEM, Comply foam tips (the best tips, period) and a sound signature that’ll have you madly running through your entire music catalog with a big, gleeful smile plastered all over your face.

Monster’s Turbine Earphones: I Find Your Lack of Clarity Disturbing [Review]

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What!? Neither Cult publication has ever reviewed Monster’s famed Turbine earphones, even though the IEMs have been hanging on Best Buy end caps for the last several years? Well, that’s an injustice we won’t let stand another day — after all, these are among the best recognized, and most iconic IEMs on the market.

The Turbine is the base model in Monster’s Turbine lineup; though with an MSRP of $180, “base model” seems like a relative term (the two higher models, the Pro Gold and the Pro Copper, are $300 and $400 respectively and are apparently better at reproducing a wider range than the plain-wrapper Turbines reviewed here).

Crazy-Expensive iPad DAC Is Gorgeously Excessive

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The Zodiac DAC looks amazing, and costs more than your car
The Zodiac DAC looks amazing, and costs more than your car

Oh man. €3,500 ($4,650) is a ridiculous amount to spend on an external digital-to-analog (DAC) for your iPad, but the Zodiac looks so sweet I’m still tempted. The top-of-the-line Zodiac Gold itself will only set you back €3,000 alone, but when purchased with the optional Voltikus power supply, you hit the bigger figure.