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The survival of digital audio players is actually quite extraordinary. Despite the fact that we carry around phones that can do everything, standalone digital audio players continue to sell.

Let’s talk about this new pair of Indian-made headphones. That itself is unusual enough. Headphones come from places like France and Germany and China (also sometimes the United States, if a company is feeling patriotic enough).

If you love headphones like we do, one of the most annoying things is trying to convince others that they can be objects of beauty. Where we see smooth curves, perfect headband design, and clever use of materials, others only see bulky plastic...

Our show report for the amazing CanJam 2018 - the biggest headphone meetup of the them all, live from Times Square in New York City.

Ultimate Ears say that their Megaboom speaker “can be immersed in liquid up to 1m for up to 30 minutes.” At The Master Switch, we have only one response to this: Challenge accepted.

In-ear technology has come a long way in just a few short years. While wireless earbuds increase in popularity, companies like Campfire Audio keep pounding away with new wired designs, focusing purely on high quality audio.

It can often be a challenge to go for an audio company that prizes rigorous engineering over marketing flair. Judging by their website and their staid, sober presence on social media, you might be forgiven for bypassing iFi Audio. Don't.

Very few audio designers are as accomplished as Aaron Fournier. After stints at Tivoli Audio and V-Moda, the Boston-based engineer started his own company, Thinksound, with the goal of making environmentally-friendly headphones that sounded fantastic.

Rotel don’t often get the love they deserve. Perhaps it’s the name, which, if you’re not familiar with the brand, sounds like a copy machine manufacturer. We think they deserve to be a household name.

Sony’s A/V receivers have always been good, but they haven’t always managed to stand out against competition from the likes of Marantz, Onkyo, and Denon. With the STR-DN1060, and its subsequent iterations, they intended to change that.

We make no bones about being huge fans of MEZE Headphones here at The Master Switch. Why wouldn’t we be? The Romanian company blew our minds with the gorgeous 99 Classics over-ear model, which is probably our favorite pair of this year.

One of the things that we, and just about everybody who loves music, are not very good at is looking after our hearing. When there are so many fantastic headphones and speakers to listen to, who cares about resting your ears?

Feliks Audio is a Polish boutique headphone amplifier manufacturer that specializes in tube circuit designs. Their Elise MkII model has been making waves on tube amp forums and trade shows

There’s something very aggressive about the Raumfeld Sounddeck. We’re not talking about the sound. We’re talking about the sheer aura that surrounds it, like a surly football player propping up a bar.