Author: James Longman

Hello, my name is James Longman. I’m a writer and editor at AudioReputation. I disassembled my first portable AM/FM radio when I was only 8. At the age of 11, I burned the circuit board on my old boombox cassette player. I’m not going to explain how but it was reckless and stupid. Since then, I have become much more careful around radios, boomboxes, and other audio devices (at least, I like to think so) but I have never lost the passion for audio equipment. Throughout 20 years of my professional career, I've been working for various audio equipment manufacturers and even started building speakers on my own in my little workshop. I love the work we do here at AudioReputation. Testing, comparing, and evaluating all kinds of audio devices (speakers, soundbars, headphones, home theater systems, etc.) is something I truly enjoy. I try to be unbiased and give you my honest opinion on every piece of equipment I test. Still, you should take my reviews with a pinch of salt and always be just a little bit skeptical. The fact that I liked some speaker or soundbar doesn’t mean that you are going to love it. If you have the opportunity, you should test it/hear it before buying it.

Feb192019 by James LongmanNo Comments

Naim Uniti Atom All-In-One Audio System Review

Awards, Single Reviews

Looking for a compact high-end all-in-one audio system? Well, you can stop your search - Naim Uniti Atom may be just the thing you need. It’s a hi-fi stereo receiver, wireless music streamer, amplifier, music player, and so much more. The number of different features packed in this small and compact device is simply remarkable. In this review, we are going to go through all the highlights of Naim Uniti Atom, give you our opinion on the performance, talk about downsides and, finally, evaluate it and suggest some alternatives. So, without further ado, let’s dive into this review. Naim has been one of the synonyms for high-end audio equipment, especially when it comes to amplifiers, for more than 4 decades. It’s a British audio company established in 1969. The last 10-15 years

Feb122019 by James LongmanNo Comments

How Important is a Subwoofer in a Home Theater System?

Blog

Have you ever had one of those moments when watching a movie in a cinema and wondering how they managed to achieve such a nice and powerful sound? Well, in most of the action or dramatic scenes, the key is the subwoofer. This thing is one of the key elements of every good speaker system, no matter if it is 2.1, 5.1, 7.1, or bigger. If you want to buy a great home theater system or to add a subwoofer to your existing speaker system, stay with us and you will find out all about the importance of a subwoofer and about different ways of optimizing the subwoofer’s performance. What Is Subwoofer and How It Works? Subwoofers are different from the regular speakers because they are made specially for reproducing very low-frequency tones, usually from 20 to 125 Hz (or up to 200Hz). Subwoofers ar

Feb112019 by James Longman1 Comment

Top 16 Loudest Bluetooth Speakers In 2019

Speakers

If you are searching for the loudest Bluetooth speakers on the market you’ve come to the right place. If you tried to find the right Bluetooth speakers without any previous knowledge of what you should be paying attention to when buying Bluetooth speakers, this article is designed for you. Since we are going to present to you some of the loudest Bluetooth speakers, the most of our article will be related to SPL (Sound Pressure Level), power, their correlation, and their influence on speaker’s loudness. First, we are going to explain what technical specifications you should be taking into consideration when determining how loud is some speaker. After a short introduction, we are going to present to you our list of top 16 loudest Bluetooth speakers on the market. Most people don’t rea

Feb72019 by James LongmanNo Comments

Meze Audio 99 Neo Review – Awards

Awards, Single Reviews

Did you know they make great headphones in Romania? No, we’re not talking about that new Sennheiser’s factory. We’re talking about the Meze Audio, a Romanian headphone/earphone manufacturer based in Baia Mare in Northwest Romania. The company was founded in 2009. They’ve struggled a few years to make a breakthrough, but after the introduction of 99 Classics in 2015, Meze has become a recognizable name in the audio industry. 99 Classics received many awards and were praised by many customers as one of the best-looking and best-sounding headphones in their category. The only problem was their price. It’s not like they were crazy expensive, but most people don’t really want to spend more than $300 on a pair of headphones. So, the people from Meze Audio decided to expand their reach and ma

Feb62019 by James LongmanNo Comments

Understanding Speaker Frequency Response

Blog

How do you decide which speaker is the right one? What are the key factors that make you choose some speaker or a speaker system? We have made a small research and concluded that many users base their decision on the specifications printed on the speaker box. After all, this is the easiest and the most convenient way, especially when you don’t know much about speakers and their performance. One of the characteristics that users find reliable is the frequency response. The problem is - the frequency response range itself doesn’t define the speaker’s audio quality. Also, most of the buyers don’t really understand the true meaning of frequency response. This is the reason and the opportunity to create this article and try to explain the term “frequency response” and help you realize what t

Feb142019 by James LongmanNo Comments

AudioEngine A5+ Wireless Speakers Review – Awards

Awards, Single Reviews

AudioEngine has been in the audio industry for quite some time and they’ve been known for making high-quality products, mostly powered bookshelf/desktop speakers. Their first powered speaker A5 was a big hit. Then, they upgraded it to AudioEngine A5+ which is still one of the AudioEngine’s bestsellers. AudioEngine A5+ wireless 2.0 speaker system is the upgraded version of the A5+ Classic. The most noticeable difference between the two is the wireless connectivity. A5+ Wireless has a built-in Bluetooth module and can be wirelessly connected to any Bluetooth-enabled device. A5+ Classic didn’t have this ability, but there was a way to make it wireless by connecting it to the AudioEngine B1 Bluetooth receiver. In a way, A5+ Wireless is the A5 Classic with a built-in B1 receiver. The se

Feb182019 by James LongmanNo Comments

Brainwavz Alara Planar Magnetic Headphones Review – Awards

Awards, Single Reviews

Brainwavz is a young audio equipment manufacturer that’s been trying to make some real impact in the audio industry and position itself on the market for the past few years. Some of their previous models like the over-ear headphones HM5 and HM100 have been highly praised as great midrange headphones, but Brainwavz decided not to stop there. Alara planar magnetic headphones are the latest release from this ambitious headphone manufacturer and it is, by far, the most expensive and the best-sounding model ever made by Brainwavz. These are also the first planar magnetic headphones ever made by the Brainwavz. At $500 price point, Alara headphones have a few noticeable rivals on the planar magnetic headphone market, but there’s also a lot of great dynamic headphones within this price range, and

Jan312019 by James LongmanNo Comments

Bass Frequency Response on Headphones Explained

Blog

Knowing a few basic things about headphone frequency response can be very helpful when searching for a new pair of headphones. The ability to read and understand the frequency response and especially the frequency response curve/graph could make your search a lot easier and quicker. Depending on the music genres you prefer and on your personal taste, you will be looking for a different type of a frequency response curve. If you are into bass-heavy music, you will be paying more attention to the bass frequency response and depending on your personal preferences, you will be looking for more accurate, more emphasized, or warmer bass. This article will be centered around bass frequency response and the impact of different bass frequencies on the headphone sound signature. If you keep ...

Jan302019 by James LongmanNo Comments

10 Best Bluetooth Motorcycle Helmet Speakers In 2019

Speakers

If you are looking for a Bluetooth motorcycle helmet speaker or a Bluetooth-enabled helmet with built-in speakers, this article is a great place to start your search and learn something about these devices. We have already explored the market for you, found the most reputable brands and the most popular products, tested them, and made a list of 10 best Bluetooth motorcycle helmet speakers. If you don’t want to deal with the installation (although it’s not a huge hassle), there’s a section of this article for you - we have also made a list of 5 best Bluetooth-enabled helmets with built-in speakers and mics. All the text before and after the list of 10 best Bluetooth motorcycle helmet speakers is dedicated to those who don’t know anything about motorcycle helmet speakers and those

Jan292019 by James LongmanNo Comments

What are the Parts of a Stereo System?

Blog

What was your first thought when you read this headline? Some of you may have some knowledge of audio systems but many people don’t know anything about them and others think that the question is absurd because the only logical answer is that a stereo system consists of a pair of speakers. However, those who have some kind of a stereo system know that they are much more complicated than it seems. Of course, the speakers are the integral parts of any audio system but they are commonly considered the only part of the system. After all, they are the most obvious parts that everyone sees and the parts where the music is coming from. Well, this is not entirely true because stereo systems consist of at least three parts that have a great impact on the quality of the sound. If you are inter