Hear moreof the musicyou already love.
Buying guides for headphones, in-ear monitors, DACs, amplifiers, speakers and turntables, starting with how you listen and what you plug into, then the specifications that change the sound.
Find gear by how you listen
On the move, at the desk or in the living room. Each section starts with the setup, then the gear.
Hi-Fi questions, answered
How far should bookshelf speakers be from the wall?
Start with at least 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 inches) from the wall behind them, more for rear-ported speakers, then move them in small steps until bass sounds full but not boomy.
Read: Bookshelf Speaker Placement →Will a DAC make Spotify sound better?
A DAC cannot add detail that is not in the file, but it can remove noise, add power and drive your headphones properly. Lossless streaming plus a decent DAC helps most with wired headphones.
Read: Do You Need a DAC? When an External DAC Actually Helps →What impedance can a phone drive?
Most phones and laptops drive headphones under about 50 ohms with reasonable sensitivity to a comfortable volume. Above that, check sensitivity: 250 and 300 ohm headphones usually sound quiet or thin without an amplifier.
Read: Headphone Impedance and Sensitivity Explained →Do open-back headphones leak sound?
Yes. The ear cups are vented, so people near you can hear what you play, and you can hear the room around you. They suit quiet rooms where that does not matter.
Read: Open-Back vs Closed-Back Headphones →Built for listeners, not spec sheets
We match headphones to amps and speakers to rooms, so a recommendation works with what you already own.
Each guide says who the gear suits, who should look elsewhere, and what to check before you buy.
Brands cannot buy a review or a spot on a list. Partner codes save you money; they never decide what we recommend.
Prices are dated, codes are updated across the site at once, and pages are revised when a product, standard or rule changes.
The hi-fi gear index
- 01HeadphonesOver-ear and on-ear headphones: open-back for home listening, closed-back for isolation, planar and dynamic drivers, wireless noise-cancelling models.1 page
- 02DACs & ampsDongle DACs, portable DAC/amps, desktop DACs and headphone amplifiers, balanced outputs and power matching.2 pages
- 03Setup & listeningRoom placement and treatment, cables and connectors, lossless and hi-res formats, and safe listening levels.1 page