8 Cool New Audio Gadgets To Upgrade Your Music Setup

If you are a serious audiophile, you probably have a solid setup: an amp, a DAC, and high-quality speakers delivering rich, detailed sound. That means you are done, right? Not quite. Many little devices can further elevate your audio setup, and we'll discuss them below.

Also, just because you have invested in a top-end HiFi doesn't mean you will only listen to music in that one room. There are many reasons why you should install multi-room audio systems. We have the technology to bring high-resolution audio to desktop or even portable music setups, pairing with headphones and IEMs rather than massive speakers.

And if you are still building your system, we have something for you, too. You no longer have to break the bank to upgrade from a simple home theater. Today's all-in-one HiFi units combine DACs and preamps to give you a more accessible high-res audio setup. With that in mind, let's get into a curated selection of gadgets to help you upgrade your music setup, no matter where you are in your audiophile journey.

Headphones are usually regarded as inferior listening equipment compared to high-end speakers, and for good reason. They lack the hardware and power to match the depth of a good speaker, and their output can't be meaningfully enhanced. Unlike a speaker, you can't connect an amplifier to a headphone, so you are stuck with the default audio quality. Or at least, that's how it normally goes.

But headphones have come a long way, and now you can buy some great ones at low prices. Portable DACs are a thing, too, letting you add more punch to your headphones' audio processing. The Schiit Lyr 5, for example, is a portable headphone amplifier that connects with any wired headphone and elevates the experience.

It comes with both tube and solid-state modes to select from, with 6W of power in each channel to drive even the most expensive headphones. Better yet, it is one of the only portable headphone amps to come with smart integration. You can use a dedicated smartphone app called Forkbeard to fully control it, adjusting parameters like the EQ, balance, or the type of amplification without touching the Lyr 5 itself. This Forkbeard integration also enables you to pair a compatible DAC for a budget home audio setup. This is the feature that puts it above even some of the best portable DACs out there.

A HiFi system is not just made up of components such as the speakers and amplifiers. You also need a way to source high-quality audio. Traditionally, this means record players or CD transports, but today, you are more likely to find songs through streaming services like Spotify Connect. Premium music streaming services provide high-quality audio, but unless you have a device capable of working with that quality, you won't see much benefit. For a HiFi setup, this means a proper network streamer.

The Fosi Audio S3 is exactly that. It is a network streamer with a high-resolution DAC and a pre-amp, making it a complete driver for a quality audio setup. You can slot it into your HiFi setup, or use it as the standalone core for a 2.1 stereo configuration. It can even work with a home theater system. This flexibility might make it seem like it is an average digital player, but that's not the case. The Fosi Audio S3 produces high-fidelity sound, using quality codecs and isolated circuits to deliver lossless audio.

It comes equipped with a range of connectivity options, both wireless and wired. The S3 can transmit over WiFi, connect using Bluetooth, or interface with HDMI eARC, RCA, or optical connections. This makes the S3 the perfect device to modernize your home audio setup for the digital age.

When it comes to storing music on physical media, CDs are still the preferred way. The old school method is vinyl records, of course, but CDs offer better sound quality. The problem is that you cannot use CD players with HiFi. CD players process the information on the disk into audio signals based on their own chipset, outputting directly playable signals. Which is great for using directly with a home theater system, but a HiFi setup has its own dedicated DAC.

For HiFi sets, the method is to use a CD transport, or CDT. A CDT's job is to read a CD and supply the raw digital signal without any form of processing. It may not sound like much, but the device's moving parts can cause noise and distortion. This is why a good CDT is crucial to get quality audio from your HiFi system.

The Quad Platina CDT is a good option. It is a precisely engineered device that accurately transcribes audio from a CD and transmits it to a DAC. The mechanisms are shielded to reduce any interference, with a custom clock and servos to prevent any errors and produce near-perfect digital signals. For convenience, the Platina CDT also includes a USB port, though of course it cannot produce audio on its own and must be connected to a DAC and a preamp.

CDs and network streaming might be the best sources of high-quality audio, but vinyl still has its charm. Vinyl records are where audio recording began, with a specially calibrated stylus etching the grooves of a song on the disk. To read that disk and convert it back into audio, you need a turntable. Of course, complete "all-in-one" record players also exist, but there are reasons why audiophiles prefer turntables.

Turntables today are designed to work with HiFi systems, reading vinyl records and outputting the analog signal into a preamp and speaker setup. The Denon DP-500BT takes it a step further by offering a built-in phono preamp and Bluetooth support. This means that this Denon turntable can directly pair with speakers or headphones to play any records without a complete HiFi setup. Of course, it is best used with one, so its inbuilt amp is switchable.

The Denon turntable's Bluetooth support includes aptX codecs, delivering quality wireless audio. Features aside, the DP-500BT has a solid construction and a sleek, premium look, with vibration resistance to reduce distortion. It also comes with a moving magnet cartridge, so it is ready to play records right out of the box.

Amps come in various shapes and sizes. There are the powerful amps meant to drive towering studio speakers, standing in their own corner of the room. Then there are the tiny portable amps you can use with headphones while travelling. But between these two is another category — desktop amps. A desktop amp is simply an amp small enough to sit comfortably on a desk. In practice, this is an amp intended for relatively small audio setups, usually with your PC.

The Burson Conductor Stellar is one of the most striking desktop amps on the market, with a futuristic spacecraft look and a chrome finish. Looks aren't all that it brings to the table, either. The Stellar is a complete HiFi package, combining a desktop preamp, a high-res DAC, and a headphone amplifier in one box. It does justice to each of these roles as well, equipped with expensive, high-quality hardware for premium HiFi output.

The audio fidelity of the Burson Conductor Stellar is so high that it can power even sensitive IEMs without distortion or noise, and drive major audiophile headphones like planar magnetic devices as well. Thanks to its high-resolution audio codecs and the latest Bluetooth 5.0 support, it can provide lossless audio transmissions even wirelessly. It still comes with the standard wired interfaces, so you can use the Stellar for a surprisingly effective desktop audio setup.

Using IEMs or headphones plugged into your phone is the usual method to listen to music on the go. But for someone used to a proper HiFi audio setup, the quality of these portable options feels severely lacking. Even getting a portable speaker is not a great solution, since that still lacks a proper DAC or pre-amp to boost the audio output. The answer is to get a proper portable player that integrates these components.

Astell & Kern's PD20 is a premium digital audio player that comes with triple amp channels, a high-resolution DAC, and a bevy of EQ customization options. It can connect to a PC or a phone, and drive audio through any headphone or IEM, giving a quality music experience that rivals a HiFi setup. That may sound like hyperbole, but the PD20 has four DACs working in tandem, along with the ESA (Enhanced Signal Alignment) technology to eliminate distortion and produce completely clear audio. And as the player uses high-res codecs, nothing is lost in transmission, whether wireless or wired.

That's not all. The Astell & Kern PD20 also comes with an innovative "Personal Sound" feature that customizes the audio specifically for listening. It works by analyzing the frequency range you can hear in your ears, and then tailoring the sound to best match your listening profile. There is also the Sound Master wheel to further fine-tune the audio output, giving you complete control.

Common wisdom has long considered wireless audio devices inferior, and for good reason. Even if you have the highest quality wireless speakers, the bandwidth limitations of wireless transmission reduce the actual quality of the music you hear. As you might be aware, standard playback works on very low fidelity, using less data but sacrificing quality. Good streaming services or discs use a higher "bitrate", which takes a lot more data per second of audio, but gives a much more faithful recreation of the original music.

Earlier, it was not possible to transmit this kind of quality through standards like Bluetooth. But in recent years, the technology has managed to catch up, and the latest wireless standards support high-bitrate audio streaming, allowing the latest headphones to perform just as well as their wired counterparts. There is one problem, though — the transmitting device might not be using these latest standards. Since Bluetooth supports backward compatibility, your headphones and speakers will connect just fine even when the playing device uses an older version of the standard, giving you subpar audio without any indication.

That's exactly the kind of problem that the Noble Audio Sceptre is designed to solve. The Sceptre is simply a tiny USB-C gadget that adds better wireless audio to your phone or laptop, taking over audio transmission. Thanks to its dedicated Qualcomm chipset, the Sceptre transmits audio in the highest possible bandwidth, using high-resolution codecs and the latest Bluetooth version for the best audio quality.

What if you want access to a high-quality music experience in another part of your house? Of course, headphones, IEMs, or normal Bluetooth speakers are options. But after getting used to the fidelity of a HiFi system, simple budget options can't compare.

What you need is a one-stop solution, a device that integrates all components of a HiFi setup in a single system. And that's exactly what the Ruark R810 MiE is about. Modeled after a classic radiogram that combined radios with record players in a stylish wooden cabinet, Ruark's modern take on the concept combines the complete HiFi framework with wireless functionality. The result is sleek, polished wood that works as a full-fledged audio setup without requiring any other components.

The quality is much higher than that of any normal wireless speaker, with the device featuring proper amplification and powerful subwoofers to deliver powerful audio output. It is also well equipped in terms of connectivity, supporting wireless standards like AirPlay, Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, and wired interfaces like HDMI eARC, line-in, and even turntable support. All of this makes the Ruark radiogram the perfect choice for a second audio setup, with the aesthetics to match.

There is no shortage of audio equipment on the market. Every month, leading manufacturers release new speakers, amplifiers, DACs, and other budget audiophile gadgets that can improve your music experience. But for this guide, we focused on fresh, innovative, and well-reviewed products that will upgrade your existing setup.