The Gearhead

Why Tubes Still Matter in 2025 There’s something undeniably romantic about tubes. The soft orange glow, the heat rising off the glass, the way they make music feel alive. For many audiophiles, t…

The unsung hero of vinyl playback, the cartridge is where the spark ignites, the one component that actually touches your records and converts physical motion into an electrical signal. Yet it’s…

High-performance turntables that deliver analog magic, without the new-gear price tag. Vinyl is a format that continues to thrive. But the gear you play it on? That’s where the magic (or the hea…

The Amplifier Paradox: Why the Most Important Sound-Shaper in Your System Might Be the Least Understood Michael Horne The Hidden Influencer Just like we explored in The Speaker Paradox, some of the mo…

** Cover photo supplied by Josh W. from the TMR Photo Contest. The vinyl record storage furniture shown was built custom by R/D Record Cabinets. What Makes a McIntosh Pairing Special? You don’t…