About Crackling Sound

Crackling Sound is an independent website about turntables, records and the hi-fi gear that plays them. We write for people who love the sound of a needle in the groove – whether you are buying your first record player or fine-tuning a system you have built over years.

Side A: Why we do this

It started with an ordinary wooden record player. Bruno, who wrote many of the reviews on this site, first heard records as a four-year-old on his father’s deck – nothing hi-fi, just a simple box – and never got over that sound. Decades of listening, building audio projects and swapping cartridges later, the question friends kept asking him was always the same: what should I buy? This site is the long answer.

Side B: How we listen

We set up every product ourselves, use it for long listening sessions and compare it with gear we know well. We write down what we like, what could be better and who the product suits. Scores are our opinion after real use – not a lab report and never a paid placement. The details are in our editorial policy.

Who is behind the site

Crackling Sound is owned and edited by Stefan Sanetrik, editor-in-chief, together with a small team of authors and reviewers who listen to records at home. The site is operated by Sandeo s. r. o. You can meet the team on the editorial team page.

Independence and affiliate links

We do not accept payment for reviews. Some links on the site are affiliate links – if you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps us keep the site running and never changes our verdicts. Read the affiliate disclosure for details.

Get in touch

Spotted a mistake, want to suggest a product or share your own setup? Write to us at info@cracklingsound.com or use the contact form. If you want to write for us or join the team, see Write for us and Join the team.