The Best Audiophile Gear (2024): Headphones, Speakers, Amps, DACs

September 15, 2024:

I’m a pretty lazy listener, which is why I love modern streaming amps. These amps have controls for Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and other streaming services built directly into easy-to-use interfaces. Streaming amps have gotten really great over the last few years. It used to be that anything with an internet connection sounded terrible, but that’s not the case with the latest models. My high-end favorites right now are the Cambridge Audio Evo 150 ($2,999) and the Naim Uniti Atom ($3,799), which both feature gorgeous color displays and some of the best fidelity (and most glorious knobs) I’ve ever experienced. Both work with every major streaming service imaginable, and you can connect to them over Bluetooth too.

A good step-down option is Yamaha’s R-N1000A ($1,800) stereo network receiver. It’s loaded with high-end components like a SABRE ES9090Q DAC for high-resolution digital audio and enough A/B amplification for nearly any pair of speakers in your arsenal. Just as important, it provides rock-steady performance and loads of connection options, from tons of streaming services and internet radio stations to a turntable input and HDMI ARC for connecting to your TV. Its retro design, which skips a color screen for a slim digital display set below tactile knobs, stokes nostalgia while delivering excellent sound quality.

If you don’t have that kind of money, I highly recommend checking out the Canadian brand NAD. Its amps, like the NAD C 316 V2 ($399) aren’t the flashiest, but they sound amazing for the money. Like the Yamaha above, the C 316 even comes with a phono channel on board so you can hook up a record player—a nice touch, seeing how NAD’s model doesn’t have built-in streaming. If you want to stream, you can find the proper dongle to connect your phone to it.

ProJect's turntables are handsome and they offer toptier sound.

Vinyl is back! And turntables are more fun—and better-sounding—than ever. If you’re looking for a starter deck with audiophile-grade sound quality, I would check out options like the Pro-Ject T1 ($499) or Debut Carbon Evo ($599). On the higher end, we like the Rega Planar 2 ($775), which has a bit more open and dynamic sound, and U-Turn’s Orbit Theory ($999), which sounds fantastic thanks to extras like a custom-made magnesium tonearm, the part that sets the needle to the groove.

If you have a vintage stereo, it likely has a phono preamp built-in, meaning you can plug a turntable directly and get straight to listening. But if you have a modern stereo, you may need to buy a dedicated phono preamp to play your records through your headphones or speakers. Check both your turntable and your stereo, because setups differ, and some turntables come with phono amps inside them that you can activate by flipping a switch. Still, while some built-in options like the one inside the Orbit Theory above perform well, others may not sound as good as you’d like.

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