Articles for beginners
Short, practical articles that answer the questions beginners ask most — from which cable goes where to how to protect your hearing. Each one takes about ten minutes to read and gives you something you can use straight away.
Cables & Connections
RCA, XLR, optical, HDMI eARC, USB and speaker wire — which cable connects what.
Read article →Room Acoustics
Why your room changes the sound, and simple fixes for echo and boomy bass.
Read article →Safe Listening
How loud is too loud, the 60/60 rule and habits that protect your hearing.
Read article →Buying Used Gear
What to inspect, what to ask and the red flags when buying second-hand audio.
Read article →Train Your Ears
What soundstage, warmth and detail sound like — and how to compare gear fairly.
Read article →Troubleshooting
Step-by-step fixes for no sound, hum, one dead speaker, Bluetooth and lip-sync.
Read article →Desktop Audio
Turn tinny computer sound into a great setup for music, games and calls.
Read article →Looking for a specific type of equipment?
Our in-depth guides cover headphones, turntables, CD players, speakers, amplifiers and digital audio. New to all of this? Start with the beginner’s guide.