Beginner here – any good review sites or YouTubers to learn from?

[Lynn33]

Any good websites or YouTube channels that explain this stuff in a beginner-friendly way? Preferably ones that focus on measurements and real data, not just “it sounds amazing” kind of reviews.
Would love any recommendations. Trying to learn without falling down the audiophile rabbit hole too fast.

 

[TheKoC]

Erin's Audio Corner on Youtube is the only one with consistent measurements I know of, except of course Amir's ASR-Channel
Audioholics does so also in some videos, to an extent

If you are interested in a professional audio installers perspective on things, with focus on home theater, I like Matt Poes channel (Poes Acustics)

 

[DSJR]

PLEASE tend to ignore the subjectivist 'reviewers,' as all you get is one person's often highly biased opinion!

Example - I used to like the proper testing of phono pickups on the German Lowbeats site (proper tests and soundbites too). In recent years, it's gone all 'Absolute Sound' and has paragraph over paragraph of how the reviewer liked a particular album or track, which is meaningless to me as I don't favour the music used - latest catastrophe was testing (!) the newish Rega MM cartridges, with no one response plot to see any improvements over the dire (even in the 80s) previous Elys 2 and Exact 2 models. The sheeple will buy them with the decks and dealers will have an easier job, but without proper testing, no idea how they really perform...

 

[Lynn33]

PLEASE tend to ignore the subjectivist 'reviewers,' as all you get is one person's often highly biased opinion!

Example - I used to like the proper testing of phono pickups on the German Lowbeats site (proper tests and soundbites too). In recent years, it's gone all 'Absolute Sound' and has paragraph over paragraph of how the reviewer liked a particular album or track, which is meaningless to me as I don't favour the music used - latest catastrophe was testing (!) the newish Rega MM cartridges, with no one response plot to see any improvements over the dire (even in the 80s) previous Elys 2 and Exact 2 models. The sheeple will buy them with the decks and dealers will have an easier job, but without proper testing, no idea how they really perform...

Yeah, I totally get what you mean — it's hard to take a review seriously when it’s just someone rambling about how a track “feels.” Especially when it’s music I don’t even listen to

So do you think we really need proper lab-style testing for everything now?

 

[Lynn33]

Erin's Audio Corner on Youtube is the only one with consistent measurements I know of, except of course Amir's ASR-Channel
Audioholics does so also in some videos, to an extent

If you are interested in a professional audio installers perspective on things, with focus on home theater, I like Matt Poes channel (Poes Acustics)

Got it saved — thanks!

 

[MCH]

Julian Krause for audio interfaces

 

[MaxwellsEq]

Audio Science Review

Technical Reviews, Discussions and Measurements of Audio Products. This video channel is an adjunct to Audio Science Review website which contains the same.

youtube.com

 

[Purité Audio]

Any good websites or YouTube channels that explain this stuff in a beginner-friendly way? Preferably ones that focus on measurements and real data, not just “it sounds amazing” kind of reviews.
Would love any recommendations. Trying to learn without falling down the audiophile rabbit hole too fast.

You are already there/here.
Keith

 

[DSJR]

Yeah, I totally get what you mean — it's hard to take a review seriously when it’s just someone rambling about how a track “feels.” Especially when it’s music I don’t even listen to

So do you think we really need proper lab-style testing for everything now?

We need a good combination as we used to have in way-back-when. Speakers all have differing dispersion characteristics for example, so how do they react in different (domestic) rooms which range from over-furnished to almost bathroom acoustics. Vinyl sources are all over the shop even today, so some practical help in siting and use is a great advantage. Digital these days *should* be pretty well sorted, but the comments about the now infamous Cirrus chip are concerning if it's audible...

 

[Multicore]

ASR has technical content from beginner to very advanced. So long as you don't allow yourself to get discouraged or bogged down then you'll be fine.

YouTube is an ocean of wannabe influencers sounding off. A few decent exceptions were already noted above. David Melor at Audio Masterclass is also generally good.

 

[spiral scratch]

^^^ What they said.

I mean it's not totally clear what you're looking for, a technical understanding of audio or gear reviews. There's both here on the site with lots of discourse. I'd start with the videos on this site, then at least you've got some idea of how a proper review is done.

The Audio Science Video Review Channel is a pretty great place to start. It can get technical, but you just need to persevere.

If you want gear review videos just go to the Reviews page.

 

[Keith_W]

Just a tip on where you should focus your energy. Focus on what makes a difference - speaker and room measurements are the most important to understand. Room measurements especially so, since you will be taking your own measurements. Amp measurements are somewhat relevant, and DAC measurements are least relevant of all.

 

[Chris A]

So do you think we really need proper lab-style testing for everything now?

In general, the answer to your question I believe is "yes". Almost all hi-fi components have relevant performance measures, even if their measured performance has little effect on overall hi-fi performance. Benefit/cost trades are very useful in saving a great deal of money that can be otherwise applied to areas that do make a noticeable difference in sound quality--such as loudspeakers, acoustics, and better recordings.

The only notable exception you'll see is when looks become important, such as high-priced phonograph turntables and related gear. In those cases, you will notice that almost all attention is directed away from relevant performance measures. Go for much lower priced alternatives if you've decided that you've got to own that kind of thing...and save your money for those things which actually improve sound quality (as in blind listening comparisons).

Chris

 

[solderdude]

Any good websites that explain this stuff in a beginner-friendly way?

articles

home In this section you can find links to articles and tutorials with detailed information about different topics. headphone related general audio related perception related technical explanations…

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

 

[DVDdoug]

MOST audio related resources are useless, and most "audiophiles" are nuts!!! Although I love good audio, I hesitate to call myself an audiophile... Most audiophiles believe they can hear things that can't be measured and most "don't believe in" blind listening tests... And most believe they can hear things that other people can't,* although a lot of them are old guys (like me), probably with some normal age- related hearing loss.

Not videos, but a couple of good articles are Audiophoolery which discusses the few REAL characteristics of sound quality. It should help you to ignore all of the nonsense words that "audiophiles" like to use.

And What is a blind ABX test?. Blind listening tests are rare (because it's not easy) but sighted tests are often useless, especially if they claim to hear something that can't be measured, or if they use any of that audiophile nonsense to describe what they hear. Even our host here, Amir, has admitted to fooling himself in a sighted listening test... It's normal.

If somebody says something with a clear meaning like, "this speaker has more bass than the other one", or "I'm hearing a buzz", I'll believe it without measurements or a blind listening test.




* Sometimes it's true. It's usually not that they have naturally-exceptional hearing, but being trained to hear & identify certain sound characteristics.

 

[Steven Holt]

Watch what you want, most of them are harmless (sometimes funny). But always check their claims against what we say on ASR (esp. what Amir says). But avoid Johnny Darko at all costs. He just doesn't know what he's talking about.

 

[Deleted member 43957]

This guy is great... but watch out for his panthers... they lose their heads at the first sign of bullsh#t.

 

[TheKoC]

But don't forget some light bedtime reading in addion to the youtubers

'Dr. Toole's 4th Edition Book is Coming! (Discount)'

Jun 19, 2025

I don't know about you but I am quite anxious to get my hands on the much expended 4th edition of Dr. Toole's book:

Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers, Rooms and Headphones

This fourth edition of Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers, Rooms and Headphones explains the physical and perceptual processes that are involved in sound reproduction and demonstrates how to use these processes to create high-quality listening experiences in...

www.routledge.com

Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers, Rooms and Headphones​

As you see there (sorry couldn't find a sharper image), two of our other dear researchers, Dr. Olive and Todd Welti have contributed to it.

Audio education doesn't get any better than this folks. For...

• amirm
• Replies: 250
• Forum: Room Acoustics and General Speaker Discussions

• 

 

[Oddball]

Everything sounds amazing on Youtube .

Would recommend this forum to start with. If you have specific questions, please shoot. I agree that the toughest part is to start, but then it also gets difficult to quit at the point where you are still not trapped in the rabbit whole.

Although there is so much in the archives that you could probably spend a lifetime exploring the truth in audio.

 

[Apesbrain]

Monte's digital audio primer on xiph.org is both entertaining and informative:

Xiph.org: Video

xiph.org