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Turntables & Vinyl

The namesake. Decks, cartridges, phono stages, and the arithmetic that decides what fits what.

• The Best Turntables Under $500
• The Best Turntables Under $1,000
• The Best Turntables for Beginners
• The Best Phono Preamps Under $200
• Do I Need a Phono Preamp?
• Cartridge and Tonearm Matching: Do the Arithmetic
• How to Set Up a Turntable
• The Best Turntables Under $300
• The Best Turntable Cartridges Under $200
• How to Connect a Turntable to Speakers
• Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB Review
• Fluance RT85 Review
• Pro-Ject vs Audio-Technica
• Belt Drive vs Direct Drive Turntables
• Moving Magnet vs Moving Coil Cartridges
• Record Player vs Turntable
• How to Clean Vinyl Records
• How to Digitize Vinyl Records
• Are Turntable Cartridges Interchangeable?
• How to Set Up a Turntable Cartridge
• The Best Turntable Brands
• The Best Turntables With a Built-In Preamp
• How to Connect a Turntable to a Receiver
• The Best Phono Preamps With a USB Output
• The Best Turntable Cartridges Under $1,000
• The Best Phono Preamps Under $500
• Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB vs Fluance RT82
• Why Does My Turntable Hum?
• Why Does My Record Player Skip?

Amplifiers

The Valve half. Integrated amps, tube amps, and whether the one you want will drive the speakers you own.

• The Best Integrated Amplifiers Under $1,000
• Will This Amplifier Drive My Speakers?
• Tube vs Solid State Amplifiers
• The Best Integrated Amplifiers for a Turntable
• Integrated Amplifier vs Receiver
• Class D vs Class AB Amplifiers
• Yamaha A-S501 Review
• How to Read an Amplifier Power Rating
• Preamp vs Power Amp
• How to Add a Subwoofer to a Stereo Amplifier
• The Best Integrated Amplifiers Under $500
• Do I Need an Amplifier for My Turntable?
• Amplifiers for 4 Ohm Speakers: Which Ones Publish a Real Rating
• Is Hi-Fi Audio Worth It?

DACs & Streaming

Digital converters, streamers, and an honest account of what a DAC does and does not change.

• The Best DACs Under $500
• What Is a DAC in Audio?
• DAC vs Amp: Which Do You Need?
• The Best DACs Under $200
• The Best DAC and Amp Combos
• The Best Music Streamers With a Built-In DAC
• DAC vs Preamp
• Hi-Res Audio Explained
• Optical vs Coaxial vs USB
• Bluetooth vs Wi-Fi Audio
• The Best USB DACs for a PC
• How Does a Network Streamer Work?
• Headphone Impedance and How Much Power You Need
• The Best All-in-One DAC, Preamp and Headphone Amps
• The Best Compact Desktop DAC and Amp Combos
• DAC vs Preamp vs Integrated Amp
• The Best DACs With Balanced Output

Speakers

Bookshelf, powered and floorstanding — and the sensitivity numbers that decide what can drive them.

• The Best Bookshelf Speakers for Vinyl
• The Best Bookshelf Speakers Under $500
• The Best Speakers for a Turntable
• The Best Bookshelf Speakers Under $300
• The Best Bookshelf Speakers Under $1,000
• Passive vs Powered Speakers
• Speaker Impedance Explained
• Speaker Sensitivity Explained
• Bookshelf vs Floorstanding Speakers
• Ported vs Sealed Speakers
• Stereo Speaker Placement
• The Best Bookshelf Speakers Under $200
• The Best High-Sensitivity Bookshelf Speakers
• The Best Speakers for a Small Room
• Hi-Fi Speakers vs Studio Monitors
• Speaker Wire Gauge: What You Actually Need
• Wiring Two Speakers in Series vs Parallel
• The Best Floorstanding Speakers Under $1,000
• The Best Floorstanding Speakers Under $2,000
• The Best Floorstanding Speakers for Vinyl
• The Best Powered Speakers for a TV
• The Best Floorstanding Speakers for a Small Room
• The Best Bookshelf Speakers for a Home Theater
• Klipsch R-51M vs Polk Monitor XT15
• Do You Need a Subwoofer With Bookshelf Speakers?

Home Theater

Receivers, layouts and Atmos — built on Dolby's published spec, not on vibes.

• Home Theater Setup: The Complete Guide
• The Best AV Receivers Under $1,000
• Dolby Atmos Speaker Placement
• The Best Subwoofers for a Home Theater
• The Best Home Theater Speakers
• Soundbar vs Speakers
• Denon AVR-X1800H Review
• HDMI eARC and HDMI 2.1, Explained
• AV Receiver Room Correction, Honestly
• The Best AV Receivers Under $500
• The Best AV Receivers for Music
• How Much Does a Home Theater Cost?
• Are AV Receivers Worth It?
• Home Theater vs Hi-Fi
• How to Set Speaker Levels in a Home Theater
• The Best AV Receivers With Pre-Outs
• The Best AV Receivers for Gaming
• The Best 7.2 AV Receivers Under $1,000
• Denon AVR-X1800H vs Onkyo TX-NR6100
• The Best Home Theater System Under $1,000
• Do I Need a Center Channel Speaker?
• What Size Subwoofer Do You Need for a Home Theater?

Room Treatment

The cheapest upgrade in hi-fi, and the one where the marketing is furthest from the physics.

• The Best Acoustic Panels for a Home Theater
• Find Your First Reflection Points
• Bass Traps vs Acoustic Panels
• The Best Bass Traps
• How Much Room Treatment Do I Need?
• Soundproofing vs Acoustic Treatment
• DIY vs Store-Bought Acoustic Panels
• The Best Acoustic Panels for Walls
• Room Treatment for a Hi-Fi Listening Room
• Bass Traps for Small Rooms
• Acoustic Ceiling Panels and Clouds
• Room Treatment for Home Theater
• Do Bass Traps Actually Work?

Gift Guides & Black Friday

Buying for someone else, in a category where the wrong box does not fit the system they already own.

• Black Friday & Cyber Monday Hi-Fi and Home Theater Deals 2026
• The Best Gifts for Vinyl Lovers
• The Best Gifts for Home Theater Fans
• The Best Gifts for Desk and Headphone Listeners
• The Best Hi-Fi Gifts Under $100
• The Best Hi-Fi Gifts Under $250
• The Best Splurge Hi-Fi Gifts

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