Astell&Kern A&futura SE180 showing some of its Bluetooth codecs

Let’s measure the Bluetooth Codecs: which performs the best

Stephen Dawson
For years we've assumed that Bluetooth audio codecs such as aptX and AAC and LDAC sound better than the standard SBC. But do they? Here were actually measure them and present the results.
Astell&Kern A&futura SE180 showing some of its Bluetooth codecs

Let’s measure the Bluetooth Codecs: which performs the best

Stephen Dawson
For years we've assumed that Bluetooth audio codecs such as aptX and AAC and LDAC sound better than the standard SBC. But do they? Here were actually measure them and present the results.
A Runestone by Harald Bluetooth

Bluetooth codecs – getting music from your phone to your audio gear

Stephen Dawson
What are the stereo audio codecs used by Bluetooth? Is it worth looking for any particular one? Should you even care?
P-Mount cartridge left, Standard Mount right

Standard Mount or P-Mount: which cartridge mount do I need?

Stephen Dawson
Some turntable cartridges come a Standard or 1/2-inch Mount, others with a T4P or P-Mount. Which one will work with your turntable?
A pile of SACDs

Diving Deeply into Direct Stream Digital

Stephen Dawson
Is DSD better than PCM? Should you prefer either format for your digital music? The answer in this deep dive into DSD might surprise you. Along the way, we'll objectively compare performance.
MP3 hard filter at 16kHz

How does lossless audio compression work?

Stephen Dawson
Do you want to know how lossless audio compression works? It's kind of magic, but with TIDAL, Apple Music and soon Spotify offering it, Lossless is the way we'll be listening more and more.
Denon DCD-755AR with Moon 280D

Do you need a CD Transport? Or will a CD player with digital output do the job?

Stephen Dawson
Can a CD player with digital out do the job of a CD transport? My attempt at doing this led to a mystery: not enough noise. What was the cause of this?
Topping A30 Pro

Balanced headphones: what they are and should you want them?

Stephen Dawson
Over the past few years, balanced headphones have become a thing. Lots of higher end digital audio players and headphone amplifiers now provide out...
Focal Clear MG headphones use dynamic drivers

Headphone tech explainer – the machines behind the sound

Stephen Dawson
So, you’re looking at headphones and somewhere in the specifications or description the type of driver employed is mentioned. It might be a dynamic...
Stereo Music Waveform

How much power do I need from my amplifier?

Stephen Dawson
50 watts? 500 watts? How much power do you really need from a stereo amplifier? The answer might surprise you.
Bryston B135 Cubed amplifier speaker outputs

What is Damping Factor?

Stephen Dawson
Some amplifiers include amongst the specifications something called "Damping Factors". What is it, and what does it mean for performance?
Why some digital audio players just aren’t loud enough

Why some digital audio players just aren’t loud enough

Stephen Dawson
European rules limit the ability of some digital audio players to perform properly. See how and why ... and what to do about it.
Denon device playing DLNA audio

What is DLNA all about?

Stephen Dawson
DLNA is the way that many of us pipe music from its source to its "renderer". Come with us to find out what this is all about.
Antiskating dial on Thorens turntable

Turntable Tute: what is antiskating, and why do you need it?

Stephen Dawson
Antiskating is an important feature of any turntable worth adding to your system. But what does it do, and what is skating anyway?
What is Dither?

What is Dither?

Stephen Dawson
As we'll see in this article, the prudential addition of noise -- dither -- trades off one form of very objectionable distortion for another than is less bothersome.
6.35mm home theatre receiver headphone output

Why most headphone outputs deliver inaccurate sound and what to do about it

Stephen Dawson
There's a very good chance that the headphone output on your amplifier is colouring the sound that it is delivering to your headphones. See why and what to do about it.