Good speakers are expensive, but there are myriad gifts for music lovers and not all of them are pricey. You can get them a vinyl subscription, a little headphone DAC or maybe a “build-your-own” speaker kit (if you think they’d dig a bit of a project). Of course, you could still gift them that super high-end Devialet speaker they’ve been lusting after. We sure wouldn’t mind.
1. Tidal Gift Card
Price: $20+
From: bestbuy.com
There’s a good chance the music lover already subscribes to Tidal. But if they don’t, well, this is the most obvious gift in the world.
2. Wax & Stamp
Price: $30 per month
From: waxandstamp.com
This is a fun vinyl subscription service. Simple as that. Fill out a quick survey about the types of music they like and they will get two records a month, curated by Wax & Stamp.
3. Onzow Zerodust Stylus Cleaner
Price: $39
From: amazon.com
This is a must-have for anybody with a turntable (and uses it often). It quickly and easily cleans the stylus by removing any kind of debris, dust or other contaminant that would degrade sound.
4. Isoacoustics Iso-Puck Isolation Pucks
Price: $60
From: amazon.com
These pucks are extremely popular among vinyl lovers. Simply place them under turntables, speakers and amps to minimize distortion.
5. 1More Triple-Driver IEM
Price: $70
From: amazon.com
1More has made a name for itself by develping really high-end audio products and then making them affordable. The Triple-Driver IEMs are some of the best-sounding earbuds in the world and they’re about half the price of AirPods.
Gear Patrol Magazine Subscription
Price: $39
From: store.gearpatrol.com
Gear Patrol Magazine is a deep dive into product culture. Inside each issue, you’ll find seasonal buying guides, rich maker profiles and long-form dispatches from the front lines of product design. Get four print magazines — delivered quarterly — with an annual subscription.
6. Grado SR60e
Price: $79
From: amazon.com
These are some of our favorite wired headphones, ever. They sound great, look great and they’re ultra-affordable. Just beware: they’re open-backed headphones, so other people might be able to hear what you’re listening to.
7. Schiit Audio Fulla
Price: $99
From: schiit.com
This is an excellent headphone amp-DAC combo for anybody with desktop setup. It really pushes well above its approachable price tag.
8. Dovetail Record Crate
Price: $199+
From: symbolaudio.com
This is the perfect gift for anybody with a small-to-medium vinyl collection. Each crate is made of either solid walnut or white oak and cabable of housing over 100 records.
9. KMA Elder Bluetooth Speaker Kit
Price: $249
From: kmakits.com
Building your own speakers is a project any audio lover can enjoy. Kirby Meets Audio makes these projects super easy. Choose to build a small or large Bluetooth speaker, or even a nice bookshelf speaker.
10. AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt
Price: $300
From: bhphotovideo.com
The Colbalt is the newest and most premium USB DAC in AudioQuest’s DragonFly line. It’s a do-it-all device — DAC, preamplifier and headphone amplifier. Just plug it into a computer or smartphone (via a dongle) to greatly improve any audio source.
11. Cowon Plenue D2
Price: $318
From: amazon.com
The Plenue D2 is one of our favorite portable hi-fi players. It’s little more than $300 but boasts 45 hours of battery life and looks good with any setup. However, it doesn’t support Bluetooth or Wi-Fi streaming.
12. Bowers & Wilkins Formation Flex
Price: $450
From: bestbuy.com
Bowers & Winkins integrated its reknowned hi-fi sound and elegant style into a beautiful wireless speaker that’s as easy to operate as a Sonos speaker. It’s the smallest multi-room speaker that the company has ever made.
13. Sonos Amp
Price: $599
From: sonos.com
This is Sonos’s high-end wireless amp and it’s specifically designed to drive large passive speakers (up to 125 watts per channel), thus turning a non-Sonos speaker into one that essentially works like one.
14. Dean Record Cabinet-Console
Price: $649
From: cb2.com
Not only is this media consle beautiful, made of solid mango wood and elegant copper legs, but it’s also been specifically designed to house your record collection.
15. Devialet Phantom Reactor
Price: $999+
From: devialet.com
This is one of the coolest wireless speaker you’ll ever lay eyes on, but you really have to see it in action — the woofers vibrate with the beat of each song. It also comes in matte black.
16. Roon Nucleus
Price: $1,398
From: moon-audio.com
Yes, it’s expensive. But the Roon Nucleus is one of the best digital music streamers you can buy. And if the audiophile that you’re shopping for uses Roon to manage their large music collection, this music server is as good as it gets.
Audioengine HD6 Wireless Music Speaker System
Price: $699
From: store.gearpatrol.com
The HD6 Speaker System is a premium powered-speaker set that offers wireless, Bluetooth, analog and digital optical inputs while maintaining a bold stereo sound. A great pick for the music lover with either digital or analog stereo equipment.
