Comments on: Audio trends and snake oil

By: Tomi Engdahl

Tomi Engdahl — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 05:29:35 +0000

That “mastered from original tapes” sticker doesn’t mean what you think it means. Most reissue labels just send a tape to the studio, approve whatever comes back, and call it audiophile-grade. So, the labels charging you $50 or more per record aren’t always doing more than the ones charging far less.

There are stages in the process where small decisions compound in ways that either preserve or permanently remove detail from the final product. And mastering engineers finally exposed those shortcuts.

Full story: https://www.headphonesty.com/2026/04/mastering-engineers-expose-reissues-strip-detail-vinyl/

By: Tomi Engdahl

Tomi Engdahl — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:17:02 +0000

I can’t get over how hilarious it is that audiophiles have become common knowledge…as a meme about their “Big John machines”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm4c4DRmL40

By: Tomi Engdahl

Tomi Engdahl — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 20:29:03 +0000

Class D amplifiers now measure lower in distortion, noise, and power consumption than most A/B designs on the market. Independent labs have confirmed this repeatedly. Yet walk into any audiophile forum and suggest replacing a legacy amp with a modern Class D, and you’ll get pushback that borders on hostility.

If you’ve ever wondered why the skepticism hasn’t gone away even as the technology has improved, here’s what’s really behind the resistance.

Full list: https://www.headphonesty.com/2025/10/why-audiophiles-dont-trust-class-d-amps/

By: Tomi Engdahl

Tomi Engdahl — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:35:39 +0000

Most audiophile lists keep circling the same records, which makes the hobby feel more settled than it really is. The same titles get reused so often that people start treating familiarity like proof.

So, we asked thousands of audiophiles to vote for the most underrated albums that genuinely test dynamics, imaging, microdetail, and bass control.

Some of the winners barely charted when they came out, yet voters say they outperform the usual classics on nearly every metric that matters.

Full story: https://www.headphonesty.com/2026/04/overlooked-albums-audiophiles-replace-demo-tracks/

By: Tomi Engdahl

Tomi Engdahl — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 07:48:44 +0000

Design and features
The information on KBL Sound EXtrema’s design is scarce which is nothing new for this (and many other) manufacturer. The point is that anybody with the help of a web search engine could buy the same conductors, plugs, sleeves, and so on, so laying out all the details of the design would only help those who make knockoffs and sell them at 1/5th of the price of originals. There is no reason to help them and the potential customers should base their decisions on the performance anyway.

So let me share what the manufacturer decided to make public knowledge. EXtrema USB design was developed using all the knowledge and experience gained over 10 years of designing and making audio cables. As the designer told me, they put everything they learned over those years into making the best cables in the brand’s history, and, in his words, they succeeded.

https://hifiknights.com/reviews/kbl-sound-extrema-usb/?fbclid=IwdGRjcARAN-9jbGNrBEA25GV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHifk7nenSs2X1oGwoYEG7QRtqkulkdBDRT_0-VtlhbG6Cw0LKq94f3xS8DfH_aem_SKsIHlsFA8ndNk0bEs9djA

By: Tomi Engdahl

Tomi Engdahl — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 07:46:13 +0000

The aesthetics of an audio product does not influence its performance, and yet, especially at a certain price level, it is something that customers expect to go hand in hand with it to form a complete, highly appealing product. So while it is not a ‘sine qua non’ condition for a low or mid-level component, it becomes one for the top ones.

By: Tomi Engdahl

Tomi Engdahl — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 07:45:19 +0000

https://hifiknights.com/reviews/kbl-sound-extrema-usb/?fbclid=IwdGRjcARANv1jbGNrBEA25GV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHifk7nenSs2X1oGwoYEG7QRtqkulkdBDRT_0-VtlhbG6Cw0LKq94f3xS8DfH_aem_SKsIHlsFA8ndNk0bEs9djA

By: Tomi Engdahl

Tomi Engdahl — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 09:06:46 +0000

https://www.headphonesty.com/2025/08/best-speakers-voted-thousands-audiophiles/

By: Tomi Engdahl

Tomi Engdahl — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 09:04:40 +0000

Megatest speaker cables – 32 cables listened to and measured!
https://www.alpha-audio.net/review/megatest-speaker-cables-32-cables-listened-to-and-measured/

By: Tomi Engdahl

Tomi Engdahl — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 08:25:35 +0000

https://www.thomann.de/blog/en/entertain/10-artists-who-completely-changed-their-sound-and-won-big/