Buyer’s Guides
Our “best of” roundups — the gear we’d actually buy at each budget, ranked and explained by players who use it.
LoudspeakersThe best bookshelf speakers under $2000Dave Okafor tests four standmount speakers under $2000, from the $649 Wharfedale to the $1799 Monitor Audio, for real Aussie rooms and budgets.
AmplifiersThe best integrated amplifiersMarcus Vale measures and ranks the best integrated amplifiers on sale in Australia, from budget-friendly hubs to a McIntosh flagship, with honest tradeoffs.
Sources & StreamingThe best desktop DAC/ampsThe best desktop DAC/amps in Australia for 2025 — from the A$189 FiiO K11 to the reference RME ADI-2 DAC FS. Real picks, honest tradeoffs.
HeadphonesThe best audiophile headphonesEleanor Shaw picks the best open-back and planar headphones for serious Australian home listeners, from A$795 to A$2,199.
LoudspeakersThe best standmount speakers for serious listeningThe standmounts we'd actually live with — from the giant-killing KEF LS50 Meta to the near-floorstander R3 Meta and the airy B&W 705 S3.
AmplifiersThe best streaming amplifiers and all-in-one systemsOne elegant box, your speakers, done. From the do-everything Naim Uniti Atom to the vinyl-friendly Marantz Model 40n and the statement McIntosh MA352.
Home CinemaBuilding a home cinema: the core componentsThe backbone of a proper home theatre — a capable AV receiver, a subwoofer that does the heavy lifting, and a true 4K projector.
Sources & StreamingThe best DACs and network streamersGet the digital end right and everything downstream sounds better. Our picks, from the pocket-sized Chord Mojo 2 to the full-size Cambridge CXN100.