What we think

MiniDSP H.E.A.R.S headphone measurement jig

Reading Headphone Frequency Response Graphs

Stephen Dawson
Have you ever seen the measured frequency response of a set of headphones? What is it with the wild swings in the treble. How do you read them. Let me explain.
MiniDSP H.E.A.R.S headphone measurement jig

Reading Headphone Frequency Response Graphs

Stephen Dawson
Have you ever seen the measured frequency response of a set of headphones? What is it with the wild swings in the treble. How do you read them. Let me explain.
Skip the soundbar – go straight for quality

Skip the soundbar – go straight for quality

Stephen Dawson
Are you looking to upgrade or improve your sound options for your home entertainment? Don't just jump straight onto a regular old soundbar. You can do so much better.
Albums of 78s

Why do we call recordings Albums?

Stephen Dawson
Have you ever wondered when a new album drops why it's called an "album". Well, it goes back to the days long before even vinyl records appeared.
Ocean Songs by Dirty Three

Authentic Celestial Music, or the ongoing perils of buying vinyl

Stephen Dawson
Once upon the time buying vinyl was a perilous exercise for those with limited funds. It remain so even today.
Dictionary cover pic

The Addicted To Audio Dictionary

Stephen Dawson
Aren’t quite sure what “VTA” means? What is a “2.5-way” loudspeaker anyway? Well, you’ve come to the right place to understand a wide range of terms used in the high fidelity community.
Should you trust hifi reviewers?

Should you trust hifi reviewers?

Stephen Dawson
That’s a good question to pose to someone who has spent the last quarter century earning his living by reviewing stuff, a good proportion of it hif...
Astell&Kern A&futura SE2000 digital audio player updating

Astell&Kern updates firmware to good effect

Stephen Dawson
Should you update the firmware on your Astell&Kern digital audio player? Of course, but especially if you use TIDAL. See why.
Astell&Kern A&futura SE200 DAP

Why Choose a Digital Audio Player?

Stephen Dawson
Do you need a real digital audio player? Can't you just use your phone? Here are three reasons why that just isn't good enough.
Home theatre receiver showing Audyssey Dynamic EQ setup item

Fundamentally misconceived – volume dependent EQ

Stephen Dawson
Audyssey Dynamic EQ, Dolby Volume, YPAO Volume and so on all make the sound of a system bad. See why .. and why you should switch them off.
Topping E30 showing 768kHz sampling

In search of 768kHz

Stephen Dawson
Want or need a track encoded at 768kHz with 24-bits? Or with 705.6kHz They're hard to come across, but we've created one of each for testing purposes. Entertainment value? Zero! But they'll trigger your DAC ... if it's capable of handling them.
The cannon on the 1978 Telarc 1812 Overture

Some actual best tracks for testing bass

Stephen Dawson
Want some tracks which really test out -- or show off! -- the bass performance of your system. Here are a few from across a wide range of musical genres.