New York, NY (December 9, 2025)—It’s halfway through December and you still haven’t gone shopping for that audio pro in your life. Well, here’s a few suggestions for you, ranging from the inexpensive (five bucks!) to, well, a bit more. If these hot takes don’t float your boat, don’t worry: We have been writing these lists since 2007, and you can find more ideas by reading through all of them right here.
OWC Envoy Pro mini SSD ($119)
Offered in capacities up to 2TB, this ‘works with everything’ pocket-sized SSD works up to 946 MB/s and has USB-C and USB-A connectors built in, so you can connect it up to any computer system you come across.
Land of a Thousand Sessions: The Complete Muscle Shoals Story, 1951-1985 ($75)
Grammy-winning music scholar Rob Bowman’s Land Of A Thousand Sessions book (776 pages; Malaco Press) finds him teaming up with Malaco Records to create what’s said to be the definitive history of the little town with the big studios. The tome serves up more than 750 pages of insights, culled from interviews with nearly 100 key players in the Muscle Shoals story, including Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Mavis Staples among many others.
Wondershop at Target: Microphone Ornament ($5)
We came across this little gem of a microphone ornament at Target the other day and how could we resist? At five bucks, it won’t knock you back much and it’ll fit perfectly in the stocking of your favorite audio pro.
https://www.wondershopsshop.com/
Audio-Technica ATH-R50x ($169)
The ATH-R50x professional open-back reference headphones are designed to provide a natural listening experience for critical-listening tasks. The headphones’ drivers are modelled after those used in the original ATH-R70x, now re-engineered to deliver bass that accommodates an open-back mode. Designed for mixing, mastering, or creating, the ATH-R50x provides reference across stereo, surround, and immersive formats, making it a fit for any professional or home studio.
https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/
Sterling Audio 8-Channel Rackmount Headphone Amplifier ($99.99)
Aimed at the advanced home and pro recordist, the Sterling SHA8 8-channel rackmount professional headphone amplifier is a table-top / rack-ready solution for headphone audio-distribution needs. The SHA8 provides eight amplified channels of dual-source audio inputs that create multiple discrete headphone mixes for individual monitoring preferences at a push of a button. It also allows the individual user to monitor audio levels in stereo and mono configurations, as well as offering discrete and direct input connectors on all eight channels.
Norman Petty Studio Print Collection ($32 and up)
Many classic hits were recorded at The Norman Petty Studio by the likes of Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Buddy Knox, The Fireballs and others. Capturing the essence of the famed facility is an artistic series of shots by photographer Ben Geier that can be purchased framed or unframed online—and all proceeds go to the Friends of Norman Petty, a charitable non-profit organization responsible for the promotion and preservation of the studio.
https://normanpetty.framer.art/
Sharpies
We say it every year, but we’ll say it again: Give the studio or live sound pro in your life custom Sharpies with the pro’s name printed on ’em. That way, people know whose Sharpie they’re stealing!
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