Solid State Logic has been an industry leader in the world of professional recording for decades. Their 500 Series VHD Preamp packs a lot of versatility into a small footprint, making it a great contender for engineers looking for a clean-sounding, utilitarian preamp with a couple of tricks up its sleeve.

While AKG is best known for its renowned and diverse microphone line, the company also manufacturers a surprising variety of headphones. The K240 MkII is one of their more popular and moderately priced offerings geared towards recording studios and critical listening.

Audio-Technica is one of many well-known microphone manufacturers and their 40 series is an incredibly diverse product line, spanning from entry-level to professional models. The AT4050 sits right in the middle of this line, making it a good choice for home and professional studios alike.

Focal is famous for building incredibly high quality monitoring solutions, and the CMS series is no exception. The first thing that stands out about the CMS 65 is the superb level of high-end and midrange clarity. These monitors are very transparent and the definition in these frequency ranges will leave you hearing things in your recordings that you were never able to hear before.