What To Buy…the Audiophile

You know what’s great about holiday shopping for an audiophile? They won’t get offended if you ask them what they want. In fact, they will probably tell you exactly what they want. It’s just easier that way. Heaven forbid you buy them some awful iPod dock. Here are some superb gift ideas. Of course you aren’t limited to these, but you cannot go wrong with any of these selections.

Sennheiser is a name well known to the discriminating audiophile. They make some of the best headphones in the market today. An old favorite for many people is the HD650. These are some of the most dynamic headphones on the market today, in any price range. I’ve had them for years, and the only thing better is the insanely expensive HD800. Any audiophile in need of a pair of headphones would be ecstatic to receive the HD650 as a gift. Check out Bret’s overview of the HD650 below.

The Squeezebox Duet delivers champagne performance on a beer budget. This really would be a superb gift for the audiophile in your life. The Squeezebox Duet works by syncing with your computer network either via wi-fi or ethernet and will play whatever audio file you have on your computer. It will play back a variety of file formats like Apple Lossless (ALAC), FLAC, WMA, WAV and mp3. You can also use it for podcasts, internet radio and various subscription based music services. It comes with a wireless handheld controller that is equipped with a crisp a 2.4” LCD screen. However, if the audiophile in your life has an iPhone or an iPod touch, then they can download iPeng app for a small fee. The app lets you use the iPhone or iPod touch as an additional remote. This would make a phenomenal gift. Check out Bret’s overview below.

What audiophile buying guide would be complete without a turntable? The Music Hall MMF 2.2 is a tremendous performer. It really is a great gift for the turntable novice. The cartridge is already mounted on the tonearm, so this is virtually a set it and forget it affair. I can think of no better gift to an audiophile (or anyone for that matter) than a turntable.

The Harman Kardon HK 3490 is a wonderful stereo receiver. Packing a generous 120 watts per channel, it is sure to impress whomever receives it as a gift. This truly is a receiver made for the audiophile. Why? It has a phono input! How many modern day receivers have phono inputs? Not many. Any receiver that still builds things with the vinyl enthusiast in mind is serious about high fidelity. This would make a hell of a gift.

For the audiophile on the go, the new Zune HD is incredible. It has a gorgeous 3.3″ OLED screen. It’s absolutely breathtaking. Videos and images look incredible. However, this isn’t about video, this is for the audiophile! The larger capacity 32GB model is great for lossless audio, since it uses up more hard drive space. It also has a built-in HD radio tuner. Zune owners will have access to the zune marketplace catalog for a $14.99 a month. This would make a fantastic gift.

So there you have it, 5 great gift ideas for the audiophile. Remember, it’s all about the music. Get it anyway you can, but strive for the best quality. Always.

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