Michael Berk

When Furutech launched their consumer-oriented Alpha Design Labs line in 2011 with the GT40 USB DAC/phono stage, it was clear that the company - which has long had a solid reputation among old-school audiophiles as a manufacturer of interconnects, power supply components, and connectors - was making a serious commitment t

We all love music and great sound (I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be reading this if you didn't). And I'm pretty sure both you and your beloved can appreciate a great bargain - so why not put all three together this long post-Valentine's day weekend? Well, we've partnered with our friends over at HDtracks to bring you a sampler of some of their best-sounding high-resolution files.

One of the most interesting success stories of the new wave of headphone audiophila is Audeze. The company, which specializes in planar magnetic headphones with wooden ear cups, luxurious appointments, and you're-got-to-hear-it-to-believe-it sonics. We got a chance recently to spend some time with their flagship, the LCD-3 ($1,945), a headphone that's become the top choice for many of today's personal audio enthusiasts. Obviously, we needed to hear why.

Here at S+V we spend most of our time telling you about the coolest products for listening to music and watching movies - but many of our staffers and contributors also make their own sounds , and we know a whole lot of you readers are also musicians, whether seasoned pros or weekend hobbyists. And if there's one thing we know about musicians, it's that they love cool new gear.