The great names of high-end hi-fi
Sounds of Music profiles 111 specialist audio companies: the British loudspeaker builders, American amplifier makers, Swiss and German precision engineers and Japanese cartridge craftsmen who make the world's finest music systems. Each profile covers the company's history, its design thinking and its best-known products.
Landmark brands
ATCATC, short for Acoustic Transducer Company, is a British loudspeaker maker founded in London in 1974 by…
Audio ResearchAudio Research is an American maker of valve (tube) amplification, founded in Minneapolis in 1970 by…
AudiolabAudiolab is a British electronics brand founded in 1983 by Philip Swift and Derek Scotland. Its first…
BoulderBoulder Amplifiers is an American company based in Colorado, founded by Jeff Nelson. It began by making…
ClearaudioClearaudio is a German analogue specialist based in Erlangen, founded in 1978 by Peter Suchy. It started…
HarbethHarbeth is a British loudspeaker company founded in 1977 by Dudley Harwood, who had led loudspeaker…
KrellKrell Industries is an American amplifier maker founded in Connecticut in 1980 by Dan and Rondi…
MagicoMagico is an American loudspeaker company based in California, founded by Alon Wolf in the mid-2000s…
MarantzMarantz was founded in New York in 1953 by Saul Marantz, an amateur musician and engineer whose first…
MartinLoganMartinLogan is an American loudspeaker company based in Lawrence, Kansas, founded at the end of the…
Pass LabsPass Labs is an American amplifier company based in California, founded in 1991 by Nelson Pass, who had…
QuadQuad is one of the most famous names in British hi-fi. The company was founded in 1936 by Peter Walker…
Rockport TechnologiesRockport Technologies is an American company based in Maine, founded and led by the designer Andy Payor…
SMESME is a British precision engineering company founded in 1946 by Alastair Robertson-Aikman, originally…
Sonus FaberSonus Faber is an Italian loudspeaker maker founded near Vicenza in 1983 by Franco Serblin. Serblin's…
Wilson AudioWilson Audio is an American loudspeaker company based in Provo, Utah, founded by David Wilson in the…
Browse by type of equipment
AmplifiersIntegrated and power amplifiers, valve and solid-state. 52 brands.
Preamplifiers & phono stagesLine preamplifiers and phono stages. 42 brands.
LoudspeakersBox, horn, electrostatic and ribbon loudspeakers. 48 brands.
TurntablesRecord decks, from belt-drive to high-mass designs. 7 brands.
TonearmsPivoted and linear-tracking tonearms. 6 brands.
Phono cartridgesMoving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges. 5 brands.
Digital sourcesCD players, DACs and streamers. 31 brands.
CablesSpeaker cables, interconnects and power cords. 15 brands.
AccessoriesIsolation, mains conditioning and set-up tools. 16 brands.
Racks & supportsEquipment racks, platforms and stands. 5 brands.
HeadphonesHeadphones and headphone amplifiers. 4 brands.
Explainers
- Valve vs Solid-State Amplifiers: What Really Differs: How valve (tube) and transistor amplifiers work, why they sound different, and what each asks of your loudspeakers and your wallet.
- Electrostatic Loudspeakers Explained: How electrostatic speakers work, why they are prized for transparency, and what amplifier, room and placement they need.
- Getting the Best from a Turntable: Set-up and Isolation: Level, tracking force, alignment and isolation: the set-up steps that make the biggest difference to vinyl playback.
- Moving Magnet vs Moving Coil Cartridges: The difference between MM and MC phono cartridges, what each needs from your phono stage, and how to choose.
- Bi-Wiring and Bi-Amping Explained: What bi-wiring, passive bi-amping and active bi-amping actually change, and when each is worth trying.
- Choosing Speaker Cables and Interconnects: What matters electrically in hi-fi cables, what to spend, and how to approach the cable question sensibly.