The Modern Audiophile, Volume 1: 25 Tracks That Teach You How To Listen
Marc Rushton | Published on 11/1/2026
In a new feature for StereoNET, founder and publisher Marc Rushton makes a refreshing case: you don’t need obscure audiophile test records to learn how to really listen, just the hits already on your playlist. His “Modern Audiophile, Volume 1” gathers 25 mainstream tracks from 2018 to 2024, from Adele and Billie Eilish to Beyoncé and Silk Sonic, each picked for a reason you can verify, like a Grammy engineering win or a celebrated mix engineer behind the board.
Rushton walks readers through the listening skills each song teaches: hearing a voice in the room behind it, following guitars as they jump from speaker to speaker, and noticing how a song can feel bigger without getting louder. Along the way he slips in a few surprises, including why the loudness war may already be over for streamers.
Read Article