Gift giving is fun. It's also really tricky — what do you get for who? I can't help you with your fashion-conscious sibling (I exclusively wear black band t-shirts), and I definitely wouldn't have any clue what your mom would want, but I can help you with your audio-obsessed nearest and dearest.
I test loads of cool devices over the course of the year, and some of them make excellent gifts. Here are five of my favorites, all of them at reasonable prices. I know if I was to find any of these under the tree, I'd be happy!
iFi Go Link Max
It's a dongle that you can use to plug your headphones into your phone! But it's more. Inside that larger end, some very clever bits of audio wizardry do a better job of translating high-quality audio tracks than your phone's internals, for, you guessed it, much better sound.
I won't go into too much detail, but it's called a "dongle DAC," and they're a great way of getting increased audio fidelity to a pair of wired headphones without breaking the bank on a completely new device. This one only costs about 80 bucks, for example.
I love the iFi Go Link Max. It's my preferred way to take wired headphones on the go, and it does a fabulous job of making my music sound excellent over my favorite wired cans. The perfect Christmas gift for the music fan in your life.
Pro-Ject Record Puck E
I can hear you from here: "What on earth is a record puck, and why would my record fanatic family member need one?" It's one of the greatest record accessories ever developed, that's what it is — and I don't think I could live without mine.
Records can be a pain. They have a habit of getting warped and even moving about during playback. Both ruin the experience, making your music sound straight-up bad. That's where a record puck steps in. It flattens lightly warped records and stops vinyl from moving about on the platter while spinning.
The Record Puck E is a great option, and doesn't cost very much. It's a lump of metal with a hole for the spindle to sit in and a soft surface so that the bottom doesn't ruin your record labels. A great gift for a vinyl listener — or a festive treat for yourself.
Fiio JM21
A DAP (or Digital Audio Player — audio nerds certainly do love an acronym) is essentially a high-end MP3 player. Remember those? Well, the JM21 is of the very best, and it costs less than $200.
It's a great-sounding device that I had a fantastic time testing earlier this year. There's enough space on board for plenty of high-resolution, uncompressed audio files, and you can even connect it to the internet to stream from one of the best music streaming services.
There are ample headphone connections on top, and its amplifier is powerful enough to make even very thirsty headphones sound great. Perfect for the audio fan who's on the go and wants something separate from their phone to listen to music.
Meze Alba
If you're still not sure what to buy, then some excellent in-ears are the way to go. The Meze Alba are some of my favorite wired earbuds that you can grab these days, thanks to a lovely design and some excellent sound quality.
They're also plug-and-play with most devices. They're easy to drive, so you can hook them up to your phone with the included dongle to listen to your favorite tunes in the best quality possible.
They're a great gift for the audio-conscious family member you're shopping for — and maybe even something for yourself...
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