THE SOUND / MAX AUDIO
MAX Audio
Vinyl, hi-fi, speakers, turntables, and the gear behind the listening.
MAX Audio is split into two lanes: the records themselves, and the hardware that plays them. The record side stays focused on the music, the mood, and what to listen for. The hardware side stays focused on how the gear performs and how useful it is in the setup.
What you’ll find here
- Records and listening notes
- Turntables, speakers, and vinyl-care hardware
- MAX Audio Scores for both music and gear
MAX AUDIO / RECORDS
Records
Album notes, MAX Audio Scores, quick descriptions, and the best moments to put each one on.
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Blue Vinyl, Ruby Red, and Better Record Protection — A MAX Audio Unboxing
Our October 19 vinyl arrivals in real photos: Chris Botti’s 2023 Blue Note blue vinyl, the new Gipsy Kings Ruby Red copy, and MoFi inner sleeves for the collection.
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MAX Audio: Chris Botti — Vol. 1
Chris Botti’s Vol. 1 is polished modern jazz built around lyrical trumpet, ballads, standards, and a smaller acoustic feel.
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MAX Audio: Gipsy Kings — The Best Of The Gipsy Kings
The Best of the Gipsy Kings is instant energy—fast guitars, rumba rhythms, big vocals, and songs that make sitting still difficult.
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MAX Audio: Chet Baker — Chet Baker Sings
Chet Baker Sings is soft, intimate jazz built around his fragile vocal style and cool, lyrical trumpet playing.
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MAX Audio: Na Hoon-a — Golden Hit Parade Vol. 2
Na Hoon-a brings classic Korean trot into the MAX Audio shelf—emotional, melodic, vocal-forward music with a completely different feel from the jazz and pop around it.
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MAX Audio: Zapp & Roger — All the Greatest Hits
Zapp & Roger is all talk box, synths, bass, and groove—the record you put on when you want the room to wake up.
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MAX Audio: Various Artists — The All Niter 4
The All Niter 4 is a grab-bag compilation—part time capsule, part party record, and perfect when you don’t want to overthink what comes next.
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MAX Audio: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory — Original Soundtrack
The Willy Wonka soundtrack is pure nostalgia—whimsical, theatrical, a little weird, and a lot more fun than it has any right to be.
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MAX Audio: Sade — The Best of Sade
The Best of Sade is smooth, warm, polished soul-pop that can make almost any room feel a little better.
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MAX Audio: Miles Davis — Kind of Blue
Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue is spacious, cool, effortless jazz—the kind of record that works equally well as background music or a serious sit-down listen.
MAX AUDIO / HARDWARE
Hardware
The turntable, speakers, and vinyl-care gear in the setup. No listening-scenario lists here—just what it does, how useful it is, and the MAX Audio Score.
Audio-Technica AT-LP70X Turntable
Easy, automatic, and built for everyday vinyl listening without turning every record into a setup ritual.
MAX Audio Score: 8.8/10
Rockville TM150B Tower Speakers
Simple powered towers with enough output to fill the room without needing a separate receiver.
MAX Audio Score: 8.4/10
MoFi Original Master Record Inner Sleeves
A small vinyl-care upgrade that makes handling and storing records noticeably nicer.
MAX Audio Score: 9.1/10
Audio-Technica AT617a Stylus Cleaner
A quick gel-style stylus cleaner that is simple enough to actually become part of the routine.
MAX Audio Score: 8.7/10