15 Hi-Fi Gifts For The Audiophile
Everyone loves good music. But there are some who study it religiously, live it, and require extensive amounts of it on a daily basis at louder than recommended volume levels. This gift list is for them.
Instead of an iTunes gift card this year, give the dedicated music junkie in your life the gift of more music and more decibels. Here are 15 gift ideas for every Audiophile on your shopping list this season.
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Headphones
NOISE CANCELING
These sleek and minimalist speakers pack a serious audiophile punch, with best-in-class noise canceling and a deep, rich soundscape that will bring out new details in anyone’s favorite music. The 30-hour battery life and touch sensor controls are just the icing on the cake.
Sonos Five Speaker
3 FREE MONTHS OF APPLE MUSIC
The Sonos Five’s combination of three high-excursion subwoofers and three precisely angled tweeters makes it a serious contender for best in-home stereo speakers. Buy one and set it horizontally for a small footprint music experience, or add another one and stand them vertically for movie theater quality sound.
U-Turn Audio Orbit Turntable
FOR THE VINYL COLLECTOR
Everything on the U-Turn Audio Orbit Turntable is a design nerd’s dream, from the noise-reducing external belt drive to the conical diamond stylus and the OA3 gimbal tonearm. It’s as gorgeous as it is functional.
I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution
MTV’S FIRST DECADE
MTV, once a groundbreaking platform dedicated exclusively to music videos, revolutionized television and pop culture. “I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution” narrates this transformative journey.
From its daring inception, which many doubted, MTV evolved significantly, notably with the introduction of “The Real World,” marking a shift away from music videos. This book explores how MTV’s evolution impacted television and pop culture, reflecting on the era when music videos reigned supreme to the rise of reality TV.
Grovemade Wood Headphone Stand
A DESKTOP ESSENTIAL
All of Grovemade’s handmade wooden accessories are as striking as they are useful, and that goes doubly for this headphone stand. It has to be the coolest way for any audiophile to show off their top-of-the-line over ear headphones.
Garmin Venu Sq 2 – Music Edition
PHONE-FREE LISTENING
The Garmin Venu Sq 2 – Music Edition is a versatile smartwatch ideal for music enthusiasts who love the outdoors. It allows you to download and store music directly on the watch, making it perfect for backcountry trips where connectivity might be limited.
The watch’s advanced features include health and fitness tracking, GPS navigation, and a long-lasting battery life, all packed into a sleek design. This watch is not just a tool for tracking your adventures but also a personal entertainment hub, keeping your favorite tunes at your wrist wherever you go.
Sony NW-A306 Portable Audio Player
THE WALKMAN IS BACK
You don’t have to be an audiophile to know that phones aren’t the best sonic purveyors. Count on the sound masters over at Sony to also know that even a good pair of headphones can only do so much.
With their NW-A306 Portable Audio Player, you can download and stream your music into a high-tech machine made for music, and not texting or apps. Clear, dimensional, like-you’re-there sound comes courtesy of an encoder for compression then a decoder to free the music in its natural form.
Sonos Premium Immersive Set With Arc
A CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE
For the movie fanatic who can’t get enough of cinematic sound, transforming their living room into a theater is the dream. With Sonos’s Home Theater Premium Immersive Set, that dream can become a reality, with incredible depth and clarity of sound.
Gearbox MKII Transparent Turntable
HIGH FIDELITY
Ever wondered what’s going on inside your turntable while you’re spinning a vinyl? Gearbox’s MKII Transparent Turntable will let you see that in striking fashion. But it’s not just decoration—this turntable is fully equipped with an aluminum pulley belt drive and upgraded electronics for awesome sound fidelity.
Pioneer DDJ-1000SRT DJ Controller
PROFESSIONAL QUALITY
Take control of the flow of sound with Pioneer’s DDJ-1000SRT DJ Controller, and you’ll never want to go back to a standard playlist. The four-channel controller is decked out with features, including full-size jog wheels with track display in their centers.
Vinyl Me, Please Record Club
NO STRINGS ATTACHED
Vinyl Me, Please is a record club offering three-month and year-long subscriptions that deliver one essential, hand picked, and by their own admission, very stellar album to your door each month. The albums are pressed exclusively for VMP and include special edition features like custom lyric books or artwork, notes from the artists, and other can’t-get-it-elsewhere tangibles.
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II
IMMERSIVE LISTENING
Bose upped the earbud game with the QuietComfort II Earbuds, which literally accommodate your unique canal shape using some futuristic level technology. The buds send out a chime that essentially examines your canals, before reporting its findings back to the microphone. From there, you’re provided with fully bespoke noise cancellation and sound delivery.
There’s an Aware Mode, which lets just enough outside noise in—so you don’t miss the barista saying your name at the counter. These earbuds even have a super nuanced technology that Bose calls ActiveSense, which lets you control the volume of those outside noises.
Tivoli Audio Revive Speaker and Charger
BEDSIDE COMPANION
A wireless charger, hi-fi speaker, and light all rolled into one package make Tivoli Audio’s Revive the perfect companion for a bedside table. It’s darned handsome too, so much so that you may want to display it on your living room table instead.
Google Nest Audio
75% LOUDER
The small but powerful Google Nest Audio smart speaker is a refined and respectful alternative to Amazon’s Alexa. It’s 75 percent louder than the original Google Home, and has a big 50 percent bass boost compared to its predecessor as well.
Transparent Speaker
MINIMALIST DESIGN
Ditch the box that surrounds a speaker’s innards, and you might be surprised to find just how simple and gorgeous sound technology is. The Transparent Speaker lets you do that in style, and offers fantastic sound with its dual three-inch full-range drivers and 6.5-inch sub.
Disclosure: Clicking on these links and making a purchase may earn us a small referral fee, at no extra cost to you. Learn more here.
