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We had never heard of ADVANCED. Before this year’s CANJAM New York event, they had flown completely under our radar. We have no idea why - normally, we’re pretty good with this kind of thing. Then we heard their Alphas.

In the world of audio, no subject is more confusing than Digital-to-Analog Converters, commonly known as DACs. for new listeners, they can be daunting, and for audiophiles, they can be a subject of heated debate.

With headphones, it’s not just about the sound quality. There is so much more that makes a good pair, and it starts the moment you open the box. To be truly excellent, a pair of headphones has to impress from the very start.

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.

Through its precision engineering and already acclaimed audio performance, RHA - a Glasgow-based company specialising in in-ear tech - has already managed to attract plenty of attention...

It's easy to buy a set of acceptable, budget bookshelf speakers. It's very, very hard to buy a pair that truly excel. Canadian speaker-maker Fluance wants to remedy that, with a pair of nifty sub-$200 speakers. But have they succeeded?

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.

Sometimes, you just need noise. Good, old-fashioned, wonderful noise. No Bluetooth, no cute input lights, no digital displays. Just a big, grunting monster of an amplifier that you can use to mess things up.

Picking the best stereo amplifier for your setup can be a huge challenge. We know this all too well. There are quite literally thousands of amps available, from tiny desktop models to massive, five-figure beasts.

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.

When you test as much all your equipment as we do, it’s actually quite amazing how impatient you can get. Time and again, we find ourselves getting frustrated...

We’ll admit: it was a little bit surprising when we got a pair of sports earbuds from Optoma. It may have even been a bit of a “Wait, what?” moment. Optoma? The really good but slightly square company who make projectors, DACs, professional-grade...

While true wireless earbuds are increasing in popularity, traditional wireless earbuds are still being made. Recently, we’ve had a chance to test a new pair from Status Audio. But in a world where earbud tech is advancing faster than we can keep up with/

Jeff Bezos and Amazon want to take over the world - if you don’t believe that, then we have a bridge to sell you (and we’ll ship it to you on Amazon Prime). Hi-fi audio is part of that world.

That shelf at Meridian Audio’s HQs displaying their hifi innovation awards must be a substantial one - they’ve come up with plenty of firsts since their formation back in 1977. With the Explorer2, they're hoping to do it again.