audio
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The vinyl revival symbolized by Record Store Day has been great for vinyl — but it hasn’t done much for audio. When LPs were the most popular way to listen to music, serious fans played them on record players hooked up to stereos. These days, to judge by the popularity of inexpensive, self-contained record players with built-in speakers, many people listen to vinyl that cost up to $50 on turntables that cost less than $100 — and sound like it.
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That’s a fine way to discover vinyl. But if you want to get the best sound out of your records, you’ll need a proper stereo system — separate components such as a turntable and a CD player (if you’re into that), plus an amplifier they connect to and speakers that it can drive. A quality system gets expensive — a truly great turntable costs $1,000 or more, as do speakers and amps. And that’s not even at the high end.
A proper stereo doesn’t need to be expensive, though. For $1,000, you can buy one that will blow away a self-contained turntable. It’s also possible to build one for $1,000. About $1,500 to $2,000 is where things get interesting though. For that amount of money, you can choose among some quality turntables, and add nice amplifiers and great speakers that suit the kind of music you like. Add a little more, to get to about $2,000, and you can upgrade to add a better turntable cartridge or pre-amp, or add even a CD player or digital-to-analog converter.
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Even the most basic components system will represent a serious improvement over self-contained turntables, which generally don’t perform well even as turntables — the cheaper needles can cause distortion and sometimes even wear on records, let alone as amplifiers and speakers. A proper turntable will better reproduce the sound in the grooves of records, and quality amplifiers and speakers will present it more accurately. Some of this is a matter of taste — different combinations of amps and speakers sound better with different music, and to different ears. But serious sound starts with a system that might look like this.
If you love vinyl, start with a solid turntable. There are two main kinds of models: direct drive, where a motor turns the platter directly, and belt drive, where — you guessed it — the motor moves a belt that in turn moves the platter. The first can start and stop faster — which is why DJs use them — and they are often more durable. But the latter sound better because the platter is isolated from the motor’s vibrations. (Much of home audio performance essentially comes down to reducing vibrations and electrical interference — admittedly rather nerdy obsessions, but they dramatically affect the music you hear.)
The Best Turntables
If you want a direct drive turntable, try the $500 Audio-Technica AT-LP5X. It sounds great, it looks great and it comes with a counterweight to prevent the needle from wearing out your record too fast. As far as direct drive models go, it handles vibrations pretty well, too. It should last as well.
Audio-Technica AT-LP5X Turntable
If you want the best sound, though, go for a belt drive turntable like the $600 Rega Planar 1. Rega Planar turntables are reliably great, even this entry-level baby of the bunch. (I had a Rega Planar 3 for years, and I moved up from there to a Rega Planar 8.) Rega’s turntables are studies in vibration reduction, and this one comes with a mounted MM cartridge, which saves time and hassle. (There are two main kinds of cartridges for turntables — Moving Magnet and Moving Coil. The latter offers better sound and more flexibility with setup, but it’s not worth thinking about until you start looking at turntables that cost more than $2,000 – and maybe not even then.) You also have the option of upgrading it with a better cartridge.
Rega Planar 1 Turntable
The Best Amplifiers
A proper turntable needs a phono pre-amp, to bring its signal up to “line level,” equal to the output of a CD player or any other component. At this level, you don’t need a separate one. When you do, start with the NAD PP 2e Phono Preamplifier.
NAD PP 2e Phono Preamplifier
Until then, I’d sooner trust a phono preamp that’s built into an integrated amplifier than one that’s in a turntable itself. Partly for that reason, the amp I’d recommend at this level is the $500 NAD C 316BEE, which includes one. It’s one of the best entry-level integrated amplifiers available. It has dedicated inputs for a turntable, a CD player, a tuner and video, plus an extra. (If you want to use a phono preamp, plug the turntable into that and that into another input — not the phono input.) Its clean design looks great, too.
NAD C 316BEE Integrated Amplifier with Phono
The Best Speakers
Speakers — amps, too — are a matter of personal taste. It’s easier to evaluate turntable motors or CD player digital-to-analog conversion systems, but various combinations of amplifiers and speakers differ in how they present sound in ways that are much harder to describe, let alone judge. If you can, test them. Listen for soundstage (a sense of dimensionality), presence, clarity of detail, and clear bass, treble and midrange. Think of what kind of music you listen to most: A system that booms with the heavy bass of EDM might not have the detail demanded by jazz, which is a fancy way of saying your mileage may vary.
I can recommend two sets of speakers, though. The $500 Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-600M II have big horns, and thus crisp sound. As reference speakers, they are optimized for accuracy, not sweetness. For the same price, the KEF Q350 speakers also offer impressive accuracy and bass for the size and price. (At this level, you don’t need tower speakers; it may make more sense to invest in stands to stabilize these. For $700, you can get KEF Q550 floor-standing speakers, which have more bass and presence, but at that point you might want to upgrade other parts of the system as well.)
klipsch Reference Premiere RP-600M II Ebony Bookshelf Speakers
KEF Q350 Bookshelf Speakers
KEF Q550 Floorstanding Speaker
The Best CD Player
That’s $1,600 spent so far. Depending on what your music collection looks like, you may want a CD player. I know what you’re thinking — dad! — but CDs often offer higher fidelity than streaming services and most downloads. Any CD player will sound OK — they just differ less than turntables — but for a relatively low amount of money, this $400 NAD C 538 CD Player, which includes the high-quality Wolfson digital-to-analog converter, will sound great and look nice with the NAD receiver. I’ve had this myself for more than a decade, and it’s dependable, and it sounds and looks great. That brings the total to an even $2,000.
NAD C 538 CD Player
The Best Accessories
At this level, most components come with wires that connect to an amplifier, so the only other thing you’ll need to buy is speaker wire. The basic kind is fine. (Specifically, Amazon Basics is fine.) At some point, you may want to buy better wire — or even try to understand the dizzying debate on how much it matters — but give that some time. This is a good way to start. But be warned: You may enjoy better sound so much that you want to upgrade.
Amazon Basics 14 gauge Audio Speaker Wire Cable
New York University (NYU) and Sony Corporation have announced the launch of a new institute at the school through which students will have access to Sony audio technology, be given real-world opportunities and more.
Formally dubbed the Sony Audio Institute for Music Business and Technology, the institute will be based within NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, whose leadership and faculty co-created it alongside Sony’s personal entertainment business. Through the partnership, students enrolled in Steinhardt’s music business and music technology degree programs will have access to Sony audio technology, including 360 Reality Audio and the 360 Virtual Mixing Environment — both of which will be outfitted in the newly-named Sony Audio Institute Studio at NYU’s Brooklyn campus.
NYU’s Music and Audio Research Lab (MARL) will also receive input from Sony researchers and engineers in conducting its research on music and audio technologies. Current areas of focus at MARL include music and auditory perception and cognition; machine listening and music information retrieval; spatial and immersive audio; and music in the health and rehabilitation sciences.
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The institute will additionally offer workshops, internships and special events to students, while NYU venues “will present student-driven programming that bridges the gap between academic learning and real-world industry experiences,” offering students “a platform for hands-on innovation and collaboration,” according to a press release.
Through the institute, NYU will also establish a scholarship program to assist undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students at NYU Steinhardt “who demonstrate financial need and academic merit with a preference for students who have an interest in pursuing research or careers in the audio industry,” the release adds.
The institute, which has been established for an initial 10-year term, is set to open this spring, with NYU Steinhardt clinical professor and music industry veteran Larry S. Miller serving as inaugural director. Miller will also continue serving as the director of the music business program at NYU Steinhardt until fall 2025.
“It is an honor to establish this collaboration with New York University, one of the world’s premier music schools, renowned for its long-standing legacy of producing some of the audio industry’s top talent,” said Kimio Maki, president/CEO at Sony Corporation, in a statement. “Through this collaboration, we look forward to inspiring creativity for the next generation of music creators and witness how their artistry will influence the music industry for years to come.”
NYU president Linda G. Mills added, “We are excited and grateful that Sony has chosen NYU Steinhardt to collaborate on this important initiative, which will create new opportunities for our amazingly talented students through scholarships, internships, research fellowships, and other unrivaled experiences. This forward-looking initiative will not only create new opportunities for creative expression, it will give our students a competitive advantage in a rapidly changing industry. I’d like to thank the team at Sony and everyone at NYU who worked tirelessly to make this dream a reality.”
Best Best Retro Gaming
My Arcade Atari Gamestation Go
With the most impressive design we’ve seen in a retro gaming handheld, the My Arcade Atari Gamestation Go features more than 200 of the best and brightest titles from the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800 and Atari Arcade eras of gaming, including Centipede: Recharged, Balls of Steel Pinball, Berzerk, Frenzy, Pac-Man, Asteroids, Breakout, Missile Command, Pong, Tempest, Warlords and much more. It also has unique controls, like thumb sticks, integrated paddle, a track-ball and number pad to use for specific games. Meanwhile, all games are playable on its included seven-inch high resolution display. The gaming device is similar to the My Arcade GameStation Pro Retro Atari Gaming Console, but as a handheld portable system.The My Arcade Atari Gamestation Go is expected for release sometime in Q3 with a retail price of $149.99.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Transform your home entertainment with this Amazon Fire TV Soundbar speaker for a limited-time deal of $99.99. Don’t wait, hurry now, and easily amp up your TV audio whether you’re binge-watching your favorite series or hosting a dance party in your living room.
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This one of a kind TV soundbar speaker includes immersive technology like DTS Virtual, which is a processing technology that makes your audio sound like it’s coming from multiple speakers around you, even if you only have a few speakers. Amazon describes this experience as a “three-dimensional virtual surround sound,” transporting you to a whole new level of entertainment.
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If you’re shopping on Amazon, consider taking advantage of all Amazon Prime has to offer and sign up for a 30-day free trial, including access to Prime Video, Prime Gaming and Amazon Music. Get fast, free shipping in less than two days with Prime Delivery.
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Amazon Fire TV Soundbar, 2.0 speaker with DTS Virtual
This Amazon Fire TV Soundbar is compact, easy to setup, and provides a strong audio. One Amazon user stated that it’s a “simple hook up, power cord and HDMI cable, done.”
This hard to find speaker is perfectly compatible with Fire TV, guaranteeing effortless control and enhanced audio quality using just one remote.
With this soundbar, you can stream audio wirelessly via Bluetooth and easily connect your phone or tablet for a personalized listening experience. It also integrates seamlessly with smart TVs to streaming media players, providing versatility for your entertainment needs.
For more product recommendations, check out these 5 bluetooth speakers perfect for indoor and outdoor activities, this 40-inch high-quality TV to enhance your living room setup, and the best headphones to listen to your favorite music.
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Bowers & Wilkins, a leading audio company that produces top-of-the-line products, offers an array of award-winning speakers, headphones, and other devices. The brand’s Px8 over-the-ear headphones are among those lauded devices, and Bowers & Wilkins rolled out a new color finish that reminds us of a certain suit-wearing genius superhero.
Founded in 1966, Bowers & Wilkins has emerged as a leader in providing studio speakers, home speakers, car audio devices, and more. Engineers, musicians, and true audiophiles are the target audience for B&W products but they provide their premiere technology at a fair entry price.
The latest color from B&W for the Px8 is the Royal Burgundy finish. This version of the Px8, as we noted before, is a noise-canceling over-the-ear wireless headphones set that sport a Nappa leather finish along with gold trimmings. The Royal Burgundy joins the existing and still popular Black and Tan Nappa leather finishes.
The B&W team has refined the bells and whistles of its flagship headphones. If one is familiar with the vast world of headphone drivers, the Px8 came equipped with 40mm Carbon Cone drive units, the same drivers that power its innovative loudspeaker units. Paired with the Bowers & Wilkins-developed DSP (Digital Signal Processing), fans who use music streaming services can expect 24-bit high-resolution sound.
Other features of the Px8 included its standard single cast-aluminum arm structure, and the earcups, memory foam cushions, and headband also feature the Nappa leather trim. The Px8 also comes with a handy carrying case for easy transport and storage.
B&W updated its acoustic tuning that promises faster response and low distortion across a wide range of frequencies, building upon the build quality of the bar set by the Px7 S2 earbuds and the Px7 S2e over-the-ear headphones. What listeners can expect is the best representation of sound from the music you enjoy, especially if you use a streaming service that offers high-fidelity options.
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 model is priced at $699 in the Black, Tan, and new Royal burgundy finish.
Learn more here.
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Photo: B&W
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