Audio Adventures in 2026

Since the last post from a few months ago, there’s been a multitude of personal technology changes which have solidified the path for future content. The focus has been related to reducing power consumption as the current state of AI contributing to everything becoming exponentially more expensive has resulted in a doubling of operational costs. Listening to music is one area where an opportunity was identified. By streamlining what’s required to consume and enjoy content in a shared setting with sufficient quality, it’s not unrealistic to find a combination which consumes less electricity overall while not compromising on the experience.

Although the initial expenses can add up, depending on your tastes and preferences, use of the entertainment budget on something that can be enjoyed for years or decades to come helps justify such an investment. This all started with a positive discussion about physical media. Memories of playing records and listening to CDs triggered the initiation of this journey. Unused vinyl, which had not been played for a very long time, was donated to kickstart this adventure.

As with any subject, there is a non-trivial amount of information to sift through. Whether it’s paid advertisements through traditional media sources, honest opinions from fellow random strangers on the Internet, or viable, non-AI-slop reviews from YouTube personalities which apply the gathering of scientific data to their analysis, it’s possible to come to an informed conclusion on components which may fit the intended use case. Other times, all of the marketing fluff from a given vendor can obfuscate how terrible their quality control practices may be within a crowded market.

The initial turntable selected for the vinyl journey didn’t last long. The House of Marley Revolution turntable checked quite a few boxes which included:

• Sustainable material use within the construction
• A name-brand cartridge for playback
• Support for 33 1/3, 45, and 78 rpm media playback
• Bluetooth capability to connect to wireless speakers
• A reasonable price point

For all of the compelling features, it suffered from basic quality control deficiencies. Excessive wobbling for the non-removable and non-adjustable platter resulted in unexpected thumps during playback of vinyl. There was also excessive distortion via Bluetooth if the volume control on the turntable exceeded 40 percent. Product support was slow to engage and simply told us to return the unit for exchange. This is where the collective hive mind of Reddit came to the rescue; the default answer for an entry level turntable is the 60-series from Audio Technica.

Opting for the step-up, Bluetooth enabled AT-LP70XBT made very few tradeoffs. Giving up the support for 78rpm vinyl was countered with cartridge upgrade options to improve the sound and an autoplay function which moves the tonearm into position to play the record of choice. While it’s not something that those who are extremely serious about turntables would recommend, it was a very good fit based on the intended audience. Alas, this path was also fraught with some peril as less than a week in, it would sporadically start skipping on records which are in excellent condition. There is a published service bulletin for this specific player model. Engaging with customer service via the form resulted in a very quick response. Packaging to ship the turntable, along with directions to prepare it for shipment, were provided in under 24 hours.

For the massive CD collection, many recommendations for the SMSL PL100-series players were offered up by the Internet hive mind. The primary caveat related to this CD player involved a lack of continuous play once you skip or go back a track on the disc. About two weeks in with the PL150, a hankering to listen to Sublime helped catch an undocumented flaw; CDs which exceed the runtime of ~55 minutes will stop playing mid-song. After performing all possible troubleshooting methods for a device which does not contain a method for firmware updates, this ended up being another disappointment for return and would no longer be “Doin’ Time” (or stopping the playback of Doin’ Time less than halfway through the song).

Lessons learned over the past three weeks:

1. Budget accordingly: Don’t let an appealing, low-cost entry point tempt you if a product is offering bells and whistles not found on competing offerings within competing entry, mid-tier, or audiophile product lines. If you’re not buying vintage or second-hand, your minimum cost of entry (at the time of publication) for the hardware handling playback duties will be $200 USD for the Audio-Technica AT-LP60X or $279 USD for the Bluetooth-enabled variant (AT-LP60XBT), $299 USD (on sale right now) for the Onkyo DX-C390 six-disc changer or $349-$499 for a Yamaha, Onkyo, or Cambridge Audio single-disc CD player.
2. Moderate your expectations: With so much information available, it doesn’t take significant effort to double or triple the cost of an endeavor. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, various car audio equipment manufacturers would publish bombastic claims about their amplifiers producing levels of power that were literally impossible given the construction and components contained within the equipment. Competitive opposition marketing would call it the “ILS rating”, meaning “if lightning strikes the amplifier, then it could reasonably produce the claimed power rating”. In 2026, there are budget Chi-Fi products on Amazon which will make comparable claims. Performing basic math against the power supply included with these offerings will better position you to understand what you’re getting for the money and how it truly stacks up against alternatives.
3. Flag and block the AI Slop: There are countless videos which are AI generated and do not provide any useful information. Some will mislabel a product entirely. The associated account will be a random user ID or string of characters. Use the tools available to get the slop removed; it helps you and helps others who may go down the same research path at a later date.
4. Demo the equipment if possible: Finding a retail outlet which carries everything is impossible. The absence of national specialty audio equipment retailers in the United States has been reduced to Best Buy. The purchases made for this specific purpose have heavy dependencies on the tactile/operational angles of using the equipment along with required critical listening to get the sound and overall experience that’s right for you! There are plenty of manufacturers creating speakers, headphones, in-ear monitors, turntables, amplifiers, digital to analog converters, and solutions which combine components into a hybrid, lifestyle-focused product (e.g., Sonos, Wiim, Bose, etc.). Using your ears, eyes, and hands to experience the product is an overlooked part of the experience. Additionally, finding your local purveyor of the product(s) you’re looking to purchase helps support local businesses, build relationships related to a hobby, and drastically reduces the potential for buyer’s remorse.