Swear to God, it's like audio companies deliberately want to complicate things. We don't know how a group of people can produce gear that sounds so heavenly, and yet requires a PhD in physics to understand. Well, we say: to hell with that. Audio shouldn't be hard. And with this collection of How-To guides, we'll show you everything you need to know about great sound.

 

 

Headphone How-To Guides

4 Ways To Improve Your Headphone Sound

4 Tricks To Improve Your Headphone Sound

At The Master Switch, we spend an awful lot of time thinking about audio. More importantly, we spend an awful lot of time thinking about how to improve it. Everything we do is geared towards creating bigger, better sound.
How to Choose a Gaming Headset

How to Choose a Gaming Headset

It doesn’t matter what genre of games you sacrifice your Saturdays to, from action-RPG to FPS, good audio makes any gaming experience better.
How To Tube Roll

How To Tube Roll

There are three types of audiophiles: those that find tube amplifiers to be the bee’s knees; those that swear only solid-state amps can produce true-to-life audio; and those that haven’t tried tube amps and are simply missing out.
How to Choose High-End Headphones

How to Choose High-End Headphones

Imagine you’ve been sucked into the world of audio and you’re ready to spend a bit of money on a pair of high-end headphones. You’ll quickly discover that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of models available.
How to Choose a Headphone Amp

How to Choose a Headphone Amp

Chances are, buying a headphone amplifier is the first step you’re taking in your journey to great audio. Headphone amps are an easy, fun, and affordable way to boost your sound quality. But how do you choose the right one?
How to Choose a Digital Audio Player

How to Choose a Digital Audio Player

Digital Audio Players - also known as DAPs - are a lot of fun. They’re sleek, well-made slabs of metal that can not only contain every music file you have, but usually stream the ones you don’t.

Home Theater How-To Guides

How to Choose an A/V Receiver

How to Choose an A/V Receiver

Choosing the right A/V receiver can be a real mission. They can be intimidating, with a range of confusing features, even on the most affordable models. That’s where we come in.
Wired Vs Wireless Speakers

Wired vs. Wireless Speakers

Wireless speakers have become the quiet juggernaut of the audio industry. Ever since features like Bluetooth and WiFi became commonplace, manufacturers have been tinkering, slowly freeing us from the chaos of wires and ceiling speakers.
How To Match Speakers And Amps

How to Match Speakers and Amps

Here at The Master Switch, we don’t like complexity. It’s totally fine in a good whiskey, a doorstop novel, a piece of modern art. It is absolutely not okay when it comes to audio gear. Let's demystify something right now.
5.1 vs 7.1 Home Theater

5.1 vs. 7.1 Home Theater Explained

We get it. Home theater can be crazy confusing, especially if you’re just starting out. In one of the biggest decisions you’ll need to make is whether to go for a basic five-speaker system or a more powerful seven-speaker system.
Soundbars Vs Soundbases

Soundbars vs. Soundbases

If you’re curious about the differences between soundbars and soundbases but still unacquainted, let’s delve into their features, similarities and differences - and give you everything you need to choose between them.
A/V Receiver

A/V Receiver Setup Explained

Setting up a home theater system can be daunting as hell. Not only do you have to contend with miles and miles of speaker wire, as well as figuring out where exactly you’re going to put the damn things and whether or not you need to drill holes in your...
10 Common Home Theater Problems

10 Common Home Theater Problems

There’s no denying that home theater systems can be complicated. Actually, forget can be; they are complicated. When you’ve got a system with this many wires and settings, it’s surprisingly easy for things to go wrong.
How to Choose a Subwoofer

How to Choose a Subwoofer

Buying a subwoofer is like navigating a minefield. You want to get the best bass possible, but you probably also want to avoid installing a sub the size of a rhinoceros in your living room.