Links checked and updated on 03/09/04
Audio Review - product reviews by consumers. Interesting, although everyone seems to love their own components so it's hard to get any real data.
Audio Revolution - on-line magazine with equipment, music, and movie reviews.
AudioFile & AV - on-line magazine with reports of new products, reviews of music, etc.
Audiophile Audition - a web magazine for audio, home theater, and music.
Audiophilia - another on-line magazine with reviews of equipment and content.
AudioSold - High-end audio and Home Theater site for audiophile hobbyists.
Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity - news, equipment and movie reviews. Not as good as some of the others.
SOUND PRACTICES - magazine for electronics experimenters. Subscription based for much of the interesting content.
SoundStage! - another e-zine with news and lots of dealer links.
Stereophile - online version of the popular magazine. Archives of many equipment reviews, articles, and records 2 die 4.
The Absolute Sound - more an advertisement for the magazine than anything else.
UHF Magazine - Ultra High Fidelity e-zine has articles about equipment and classified ads.
I've only listed brands that I'm familiar with and would recommend for purchase.
Electronics
Audio Research - manufacturer of vacuum tube and solid state equipment that has been around for a while. I've owned a couple of their tube and hybrid preamps.
Krell - Built like a tank, Krell's electronics are known for their tremendous bass. Significant improvement in the rest of the range with their FPB series. I've owned a number of Krell components and currently have all Krell electronics in my music system. Their KAV-300i integrated amp, and new KAV-300r receiver are a great buy and a fantastic way to get into high end audio at a more moderate cost point.
Madrigal Audio Laboratories - makers of Mark Levinson and Proceed electronics and Revel speakers. The best all around solid state electronics on the market at this point, in my opinion. Too bad they don't have anything to compete with the Krell KAV-300i. I've owned a number of Madrigal components over the years and currently have all Madrigal electronics in my home theater system.
Pass Labs - very musical sounding electronics. I've never owned one of their boxes, but I've heard them many times at shows and retailers.
Speakers
B&W Loudspeakers - good solid speakers at moderate price points. I don't think their top end speakers are the greatest bargain. The Silver Signature series, for examples, sounds a bit thin to me, although very detailed. I used to use B&W speakers in my home theater.
Revel Corporation - My favorite speaker manufacturer at the moment. This is a brand new speaker company funded by Harman International and they've created some tremendous products. I'm currently using Revel speakers in both of my systems.
THIEL Audio - Thiel has been providing high value audiophile speakers for many years now. While I don't think they represent the state of the art, they produce quality products that hold their value. They have a range of products that are all good values. I've never owned a Thiel speaker, buy many of my friends have.
Totem Acoustic - If you need a small speaker but don't want to compromise bass performance, this is your brand. I was particularly impressed with the Mani-2 set up in a small room with the Krell KAV-300i.
Cables
AudioQuest - Good cables at a reasonable price, particularly their mid-range interconnects.
Kimber Kable - Another brand of good cables at a reasonable price, particularly their mid-range copper speaker cables. I'm using their 4TC and 8TC in my home theater.
Misc.
Audio Power Industries - If you want to get the best audio and video out of your system, you should use a power conditioner. These devices also protect your expensive equipment from surges due to lightning, etc. Audio Power has been around for a while, but their are other good brands.