Musicians are practical with their own money: they buy what they need and keep dreaming about the rest. A luxury gift is the dream piece, the one they've watched videos about for years. These are some of the most-wanted, from studio classics to an acoustic guitar that costs as much as a used car. Every pick comes from our rankings, with tonight's Thomann price.
For the home studio
Universal Audio Apollo Twin X Duo Gen2, $1,114
A Thunderbolt interface with two Unison preamps that model classic mic preamps, a built-in DSP for plug-ins and a talkback mic. #1 of 17 thunderbolt audio interfaces.
Neumann TLM 103, $1,192
A large-diaphragm condenser with a capsule based on the U 87, one of the most famous studio microphones. #3 of 217 large diaphragm microphones.
For the synth player
Moog Grandmother, $1,181
A semi-modular analog synth with a 32-key Fatar keyboard, two oscillators, a sequencer, an arpeggiator and a real spring reverb. #27 of 209 general synthesizers.
Teenage Engineering OP-1 field, $1,984
A portable synthesizer, sampler and four-track tape recorder in one aluminum box, with seven synth engines and an FM radio. #82 of 209 general synthesizers.
For the guitarist
Neural DSP Quad Cortex, $1,861
A floor multi-effects unit that can capture the sound of a real amp and replay it, replacing a whole rig on one board. Works for bass too. #5 of 106 electric guitar preamps.
Taylor 814ce Next Generation, $5,006
A grand auditorium acoustic with a solid Sitka spruce top, solid rosewood back and sides, V-Class bracing and a pickup. #24 of 388 miscellaneous acoustic guitars.
Questions
What is a luxury gift for a musician?
The piece they won't buy themselves: a Neumann microphone for a singer, a Moog for a synth fan, a high-end acoustic like the Taylor 814ce ($5,006) for a guitarist.
Is expensive gear worth it?
For a working or serious musician, gear like the Apollo or Quad Cortex replaces several cheaper boxes and stays useful for many years.
How we picked. Every product comes from an AudioFu ranking, scored on demand, price, specs and brand; specs from Thomann's product data. Prices are converted from euros at the European Central Bank rate and updated every night, as are the ranks.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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