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CanJam SoCal 2026 – Coverage Sponsored by Noble Audio Part 3

Headphone.GuruGearCanJam SoCal 2026 – Coverage Sponsored by Noble Audio Part 3 Welcome back to my coverage of CanJam SoCal 2026. I would like to extend special thanks to Noble Audio for making this coverage possible, not only do they make incredible IEMs and now Headphones, they have always been a

CanJam SoCal 2026 – Coverage Sponsored by Noble Audio Part 2

Headphone.GuruGearCanJam SoCal 2026 – Coverage Sponsored by Noble Audio Part 2 Welcome back to my coverage of CanJam SoCal 2026. I would like to extend special thanks to Noble Audio for making this coverage possible, not only do they make incredible IEMs and now Headphones, they have always been a

Audeze LCD-5s Open-Back Planar Magnetic Headphone

Headphone.GuruGearAudeze LCD-5s Open-Back Planar Magnetic Headphone Introductions Audeze’s flagship open-back planar magnetic headphone, the LCD-5s , appears, at least in name, to be a revision of their LCD-5, but that is far too simplistic a view. In fact, this luxury pair’s design inco

CanJam SoCal 2026 – Coverage Sponsored by Noble Audio Part 1

Headphone.GuruGearCanJam SoCal 2026 – Coverage Sponsored by Noble Audio Part 1 CanJam SoCal 2026 may have been the largest show they have hosted yet; not only was the ballroom packed to the gills with vendors, the private room presentations expanded to encompass the second floor of the hotel. As us

HIFIMAN Debuts Svanar Wireless 2: A Reference Standard in TWS Design

Headphone.GuruGearHIFIMAN Debuts Svanar Wireless 2: A Reference Standard in TWS Design Svanar Wireless 2 Brings Exceptional Sonics in a Comfortable, Affordable Package, Featuring HIFIMAN’s Proprietary HYMALAYA Mini DAC WARREN, NJ, September 2, 2026 –HIFIMAN, the leader in high fidelity personal audio, will

NF ACOUS NM25 Review: Detail Retrieval with an Edge

Headphone.GuruGearNF ACOUS NM25 Review: Detail Retrieval with an Edge The NF ACOUS NM25 is a $199 dynamic in-ear headphone, positioned as a dual-purpose tool—equally suitable for studio monitoring and high-fidelity critical listening. At its core is a proprietary dual-magnetic-circuit, dua

AudioQuest PowerQuest 707 Power Conditioner: Consider Your Source

Headphone.GuruGearAudioQuest PowerQuest 707 Power Conditioner: Consider Your Source AudioQuest (AQ) have been building high-quality cables, power products, portable DACs, and, briefly, headphones, for decades. I have used their products for a decade or more, and found them to be, without exception, reli

HIFIMAN Electronics to Roar into CanJam SoCal ‘26 with an Extensive Collection of New Models and Classic Designs

Headphone.GuruGearHIFIMAN Electronics to Roar into CanJam SoCal ‘26 with an Extensive Collection of New Models and Classic Designs WiFi Models, HE6 Remastered, and Preview of a New Reference Wireless IEM Among Highlights at HIFIMAN’s Double-long Stand What : HIFIMAN, a leader in high fidelity personal audio, will take center stage at CanJam SoCal 20

Dan Clark Audio ÆON CORE Planar Magnetic Headphone – Return of the Bar

Headphone.GuruGearDan Clark Audio ÆON CORE Planar Magnetic Headphone – Return of the Bar Nine years ago, when I reviewed the original Dan Clark Audio (MrSpeakers at the time) ÆON, I was absolutely astonished that Dan was able to capture the sound of his reference headphone of the day in an entry-level offeri

BrianFay Poly50 & Para50 – Two Wireless Headphones, Two Different Jobs

Headphone.GuruGearBrianFay Poly50 & Para50 – Two Wireless Headphones, Two Different Jobs In the studio, there are always moments that feel restrictive—like when your headphone cable snags on a keyboard stand or tugs at the jack while you’re recording a synth part. Usually, you face a choice: put up with the

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About

XLR is a magazine, a radar and a diary about music gear and the making of music — for the people who make records and put on shows, wherever they do it.

The name is the three-pin connector that every signal in the business passes through: the microphone on stage and in the booth, the line to the desk, the DMX cable that runs the lights. Studio, stage and lighting rig share it, and so does this magazine. Every few hours XLR collects what the makers shipped, what the reviewers heard, what the studios and the touring crews are doing, which producers and collectives are surfacing and what they are saying — synths and modular, plugins and DAWs, guitars and drums, microphones, monitors, PA and lights, the rooms and the people — from a few hundred sources in English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese and more, then plots what is moving. The editor writes a letter every few days. Nothing is sold here; when a link leads to a shop, that is the maker's shop, not ours.