Whether you’re trying to find a turntable so Mom and Dad can bust out their vintage vinyl collection, or you want to give the gift of great sound to a younger music enthusiast or middle-aged audiophile, it can be tough to find great-sounding gear that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. That’s where we come in. Each year, we spend hundreds of hours listening to the latest and greatest gear around, looking for the elusive products that bring the best possible sound for the money.
Here are our favorite gifts for audio enthusiasts and music lovers, from affordable accessories to insane, tube-driven wonders. Looking for other cool audio gear or gift ideas? Be sure to check out our other buying guides, including our favorite cheap headphones, gifts for beer and wine lovers and stuff people who work from home.
Updated November 2019: We added many new products we love, including some new headphones, preamps, and a number of affordable audio accessories.
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Photograph: Massdrop
Beloved Headphones
Sennheiser HD6XX
The Sennheiser HD650 are a legendary pair of headphones in audio circles, and for good reason. The open-backed design lets in the sound of the outside world, but that openness creates one of the widest, most balanced soundstages that we’ve ever heard from a pair of headphones. It sounds like your favorite band is set up right in front of you.
This special edition version of the HD650 comes in partnership with Massdrop, and with one serious benefit (besides the special blue-black color): They’re way cheaper. Where the normal HD650 retail for north of $300, these can be had for just $220, making them a screaming deal for some of the best headphones under $1,000.
They’re also super comfortable, making them some of the best headphones for extended listening sessions.
Drop
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Photograph: Amazon
Headphone Safety
Headphone Stand
The best way to make sure headphones last a long time is to keep them somewhere safe, and that’s why we like this cheap headphone stand. With simple metal construction and rounded hangers for two pairs of over-ears, it’s a great place to admire your listening options, and to keep them safe when they’re not on your noggin.
Amazon
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Photograph: Fluance
A Quality Turntable
Fluance RT81 Turntable
This is a great starter turntable—or a perfect second turntable for somebody who’s already deep into vinyl. It’s belt-driven with low-noise and loaded with a very nice AT95E elliptical stylus. It also has a phono amp built in, so you can plug it directly into any set of powered speakers, or into a stereo amp. You can also switch off the phono amp and connect it to equipment you already own.
Bottom line, the Fluance RT81 sounds as good as a deck twice its price.
Amazon
