When I attended last year’s press conference at Capitol Records for the 50th Anniversary launch of The Beatles, aka The White Album, a journalist shouted out to producer Giles Martin, “Hey, what about Abbey Road?” Martin, ever unflappable, wr… - 14 hours ago, 20 Jan 20, 4:56am -
The following is a press release issued by KEF. Maidstone, Kent | January 16, 2020 - KEF is pleased to announce expansion of the KEF Reference finish selection for 2020. The 2020 lineup introduces a new Silver Satin Walnut finish, and expansion of… - 3 days ago, 17 Jan 20, 8:58am -
The exceedingly large, extremely heavy (better than a ton and a half), eight-chassis, twenty-six-driver, $263,000, omnidirectional MBL 101 X-tremes are, in almost every way possible, the best loudspeakers I’ve heard in my home—or anyplace else,… - 3 days ago, 17 Jan 20, 7:13am -
The following is a press release issued by Parasound San Francisco | January 17, 2020 -- For nearly two decades, the Parasound Halo JC 1 monoblock power amplifier, designed by the legendary John Curl, wasParasound's flagship product, and the aspira… - 3 days ago, 17 Jan 20, 7:08am -
The first brand-new piece of specialty audio gear I bought was a Cary SLM-70 tube power amplifier. It improved on the modified Dynaco Mk III it replaced in every way—better frequency extension, bass control, resolution of details, and soundstagin… - 5 days ago, 16 Jan 20, 5:14am -
Even as digital/analog processors were becoming a hot product category in the early 1990s, audiophiles were also learning that timing uncertainties in the AES/EBU and S/PDIF serial datastreams—jitter—would compromise any improvement in sou… - 10 hours ago, 20 Jan 20, 8:37am -
B>Cecilia Bartoli: FarinelliCecilia Bartoli, mezzo-soprano; Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini, cond.Decca 4850214 (24/96 download). 2019. Arend Prohmann, prod. and editor; Philip Siney, eng.Performance: *****Sonics: ****When I first heard… - 3 days ago, 17 Jan 20, 10:02am -
It's 3am. You're lying in bed. Something woke you up—you don't know what it was. You pull back the covers, get up, and tiptoe out to your listening room.There, standing by your record rack, thumbing through your prized LPs, is a man in black (… - 5 days ago, 15 Jan 20, 10:49am -
My first exposure to current-mode phono preamplification was maybe a dozen years ago, when such products were new. The one I received, though nicely packaged, was not ready for prime time. I never smelled smoke, but I never heard sound, either: If it… - 6 days ago, 14 Jan 20, 10:27am -
On Friday, January 17 from 5-9pm, Innovative Audio in New York City will debut the Wilson Chronosonic XVX, Wilson's flagship loudspeaker.Mon, 01/13/2020 - 7 days ago, 13 Jan 20, 2:50pm -
Deciding to take an extended high-fidelity journey with one brand, while exciting, can also cause trepidation in some audiophiles. It’s the whole commitment thing. If there’s ever been a group of people less interested in long-term relationships… - 3 days ago, 17 Jan 20, 10:55am -
The audiophile focus of French high-resolution music-streaming service Qobuz continues to gain momentum as more and more partnerships with high-fidelity manufacturers are announced. - 4 days ago, 16 Jan 20, 12:56pm -
Sharing music has always been a big priority in my life. While the way I’ve come to share music has changed a fair amount over the decades since I started making dupes of cassettes I’d bought, or recording LPs I scored from a record store as a te… - 10 days ago, 10 Jan 20, 1:22pm -
The Audio Show crazy train is shovelling coal into its boiler in anticipation of a packed schedule of whistle stops for 2020 – first up is the Florida Audio Expo. - 11 days ago, 9 Jan 20, 10:42am -
This summer I could no longer resist the impression that the return of vinyl as a signal source - be it as a recollection of childhood & youth memories or be it as an exciting new sensory experience - has started to claim its place in the compute… - 4 days ago, 16 Jan 20, 2:00pm -
Hey Guys - I was a guest on @kirkmc and @DougAdams The Next Track podcast this week. The episode is now available everywhere podcasts are consumed. It was a fin discussion about my new listening room, how I got from point A to point B and what… - 5 days ago, 15 Jan 20, 7:18am -
I am sure that anyone who has perused my music articles here can readily discern that I am a jazz guy. My father was a musician and the earliest music I can remember hearing at home was jazz, from Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Mel Torme, Julie Lon… - 7 days ago, 13 Jan 20, 10:35am -
For better or worse, the past decade-plus of pop culture has been consumed by a 1980s revival. In music, everyone from The War on Drugs to Carly Rae Jepsen has decided that gated drums and Yamaha synths are back in style. Contemporary artists als… - 14 days ago, 6 Jan 20, 8:20am -
I enjoy reviewing innovative loudspeakers like the Dutch and Dutch 8c and the Kii THREE. I also spend time on diyAudio’s loudspeaker forums looking at what to build next or modify what I have, essentially looking for the “next big thing.” I… - 28 days ago, 23 Dec 19, 7:50am -
One can keep climbing up that price ladder, but there is a reason some of us don't buy $5K or more components. I saw a used RME for 470. The Sabaj seems to be a love/hate. The Sabaj seems to have a really new chip and I think it is a strong can… - 42 mins ago, 20 Jan 20, 5:52pm -
Mother of audioAll those speakers that close to each otherExtreme hard surfaces everywhere No treatment anywhereSmall roomDefinite NightmareDefinitely two channel would sound good 1000 times better than all those frequencies slamming into each o... - 1 hour ago, 20 Jan 20, 5:34pm -
I picked up a pair of Forte III's this week based on the high efficiency of the speaker and what I had hoped would be a good match with my restored Dynaco 70 and kit built Bottlehead tube preamps. Out of the box I was loving the sound with jazz and… - 1 hour ago, 20 Jan 20, 5:33pm -
If you grew up in the hifi era of the 60s and 70s, magazines featured the latest stereo equipment in their ads and editorial pages, and the reel to reel tape deck was the pinnacle. You may have owned one, yourself. Most were bought to record radio br… - 9 days ago, 11 Jan 20, 3:47pm -
It only takes about eight seconds listening to a double stack of six REL no.25 subwoofers to realize that this is something completely otherworldly. It’s not about sheer bass extension, though there’s plenty of that. The No.25 goes down to about… - 11 days ago, 9 Jan 20, 10:39pm -
Features AWARDS! Product of the Year, Exceptional Value, Publishers Choice… AND-PRODUCTS OF THE DECADE! Old School: Juan Calvillo looks back at the Marantz 2252 Headphone Art: Auditioning the Focal Utopia Phones The Audiophile Apartment: Jeff Dorga… - 26 days ago, 25 Dec 19, 9:31pm -
Thirty years ago, I spent $4,500 on an Audio Research SP-11. Think about that for a second. Granted, it had a really good, built-in phonostage, but that was crazy money for a preamp in 1989. Fortunately, I keep track of nearly everyone that buys my v… - 34 days ago, 17 Dec 19, 7:15pm -
With vinyl showing no indication of slowing down whatsoever, more and more people are looking for a place to dip their toe in the pool. While many seasoned vinylistas might stick their noses in the air at a four-hundred dollar turntable with a built-… - 34 days ago, 17 Dec 19, 12:24pm -
Part-Time AudiophileFor a long time I’ve admired the sound of jazz duos that consist of just an acoustic and a electric guitar player. The overall sound is smooth and relaxing, but there’s always a manner in which the two instruments blend toget… - 11 hours ago, 20 Jan 20, 7:45am -
Part-Time Audiophile Contemporary jazz is mostly made of throwbacks, so Calabria Foti and her new album Prelude to a Kiss shouldn’t be at all surprising. Here’s the basic recipe: one sultry chanteuse, one Great American Songbook and a lush orc… - 3 days ago, 17 Jan 20, 10:00am -
Part-Time AudiophileWas the foreshadowing too obvious when I discussed the possibility of a “purist jazz” trend in 2020 when I reviewed the Fabrizio Sciacca Quartet yesterday? ‘Cuz right on cue we have another fascinating yet straightforward j… - 4 days ago, 16 Jan 20, 8:10am -
Part-Time AudiophileThis debut album from the Fabrizio Sciacca Quartet, Gettin’ It There, is such a pure expression of jazz that it acts as the proverbial sherbet between courses, a way to cleanse your palate before the next trend in contemporary… - 5 days ago, 15 Jan 20, 8:25am -
Part-Time AudiophileI tried to tell you about this new release from 2L Recordings before the holidays, but I just ran out of time. Fryd, from choir conductor Tove Ramlo-Ystad and her singers, known as Cantus, sounds immediately like Norwegian Christ… - 6 days ago, 14 Jan 20, 8:30am -
This Chinese-made, $200 Amazon stop-gap device had audiophile mediocrity written all over it.First, a story.My power conditioner (PC) blew an onion, and the short to ground left it humming badly and tripping the breakers for the music room and… - 3 days ago, 17 Jan 20, 8:57am -
The Stellia is French audio manufacturer Focal’s latest headphone offering, and only their second to offer a closed-back design. At $3,000 they are also entering into territory not often broached by “portable” headphones. So, are such costly… - 13 days ago, 7 Jan 20, 9:18am -
I was 20 or 21, an undergrad at the Manhattan School of Music, when I first discovered Yes. I remember distinctly being fascinated by the fantastical cover art from Roger Dean. Yes was the next logical step in my journey through 70s prog rock… - 16 days ago, 4 Jan 20, 8:03am -
It’s been a bumper few years at Audiophilia on the integrated amplifier front. There have always been outstanding examples mating a preamplifier and power amplifier in one chassis and playing nicely together, but more and more high end companies… - 31 days ago, 20 Dec 19, 7:09am -
Complimenting the ongoing upsurge in LP sales, one can find a variety of record cleaning machines in the market place from which to choose, anywhere from a low of $30 to a high of $6000 (CLEARAUDIO - Double Matrix Professional Sonic Record Cleanin… - 38 days ago, 13 Dec 19, 9:43am -
At this point within the evolution of high-end audio's cable industry, it is becoming a mature sector with a handful of companies (maybe two handfuls) capable of funding the research necessary to make substantive advances. There are also smaller comp… - 9 hours ago, 20 Jan 20, 9:25am -
Music lovers rejoice as February's warm weather Florida Audio Expo 2020 show is sold out of exhibit space months before the event! The Florida Audio Expo is the place to be from Friday February 7th through Sunday the 9th at the Embassy Suites by Hilt… - 16 hours ago, 20 Jan 20, 2:53am -
Cube Audio's Nenuphar BASiS (€15,900) is a single driver floortstanding loudspeaker based on the company's F10 Neo driver with an addition of new Cube Audio Sub 12. To have extended low frequencies and comfort of placing the speakers anywhere in th… - 16 hours ago, 20 Jan 20, 2:52am -
Devialet's new Phantom Reactor Opéra De Paris is an active loudspeaker with 900 watts and impressive sound quality aided by DSP. It also is a self-contained full sound system capable of streaming music, and fully controlled via easy-to-use app. The… - 4 days ago, 17 Jan 20, 4:16am -
While Bose might not be considered the most 'audiophile' of companies, we're here to report the news. It does sadden us to report that Bose will be closing all 119 retail stores, and so there will be no more of their location within your favorite mal… - 4 days ago, 17 Jan 20, 4:15am -
Item: CHORD QUTEST DAC Location: PERTH Price: $1800 Item Condition: 9.5/10 Reason for selling: Surplus Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: Bought from douglas hifi last year, all accessories and receipt included.… - 41 mins ago, 20 Jan 20, 5:53pm -
Item: Stealth Dark Matter - Power Conditioner Location: Texas - USA Price: $4800USD Item Condition: As NEW Reason for selling: Got a new unit Payment Method: Bank Wire, Paypal Extra Info: Stealth Dark Matter - Power Conditione… - 2 hours ago, 20 Jan 20, 4:47pm -
There is one thing that all high end audio components require to function as a system, and that is signal and power cables. No getting around it. Of course, there is no market segment more controversial than audiophile cabling. This is partially due… - 22 Mar 17, 1:45pm -
Multi-function powered speakers are all the rage in 2017, and no other company has been more at the forefront than Read more... (http://www.avrev.com/home-theater-loudspeakers/bookshelf-monitor-loudspeakers/audioengine-hd3-powered-speakers-dac-review… - 6 Feb 17, 8:02pm -
A lot of excellent HiFi products are designed and produced in Australia, and none more than Conductor DAC/Preamp and Timekeeper power amp combo (home-theater-power-amplifiers/stereo-amplifiers/the-burson-conductor-timekeeper-review.html) sometime ago… - 24 Jan 17, 9:10am -
Sony has detailed the latest additions to its EXTRA BASS Wireless Speaker Series. The new models include the SRS-XB40, SRS-XB30, SRS-XB20, and SRS-XB10.Read more... (http://www.avrev.com/home-theater-news/speaker-systems-news/sony-details-new-extr… - 24 Jan 17, 9:02am -
Hulu and Magnolia Pictures have announced a new output licensing agreement. As part of the deal, Hulu will receive the pay one window streaming rights to films released by the distributor.Read more... (http://www.avrev.com/home-theater-news/indust… - 24 Jan 17, 8:58am -
It is always great to see humble boutique companies produce high-quality artisan products that can compete with those from far larger firms. One such company—ZMF Headphones—have been producing premium wood-crafted heirlooms that have charmed the… - 1 day ago, 19 Jan 20, 11:46am -
Creating a killer pair of headphones which appeals to a broad spectrum of listeners, musical tastes, and listening preferences, is no mean feat. It requires a hard to achieve blend of sonics, aesthetics, build quality, convenience, comfort, and cost.… - 2 days ago, 18 Jan 20, 3:25pm -
When the opportunity came up to review the new Magneplanar LRS (Little Ribbon Speakers), even though I had thirty-plus years of experience with Maggies, I viewed the review possibility as something of a lark. Yes, there was a lot of buzz about the LR… - 2 days ago, 18 Jan 20, 3:06pm -
This post excerpt comes in part from an email response to my friend Harold in the Netherlands. He was curious about our discussion related to my early MP3 work as an online musician through the '90s into 2000s, and how and why my MP3s could have soun… - 3 days ago, 17 Jan 20, 8:21pm -
I started several cable reviews towards the end of 2019. My lack of interest in cable reviews prior was due to disbelief that extremely high end cables, especially digital cables, would lead to improved sound quality. I also will be honest and say, e… - 3 days ago, 17 Jan 20, 10:40am -
Hegel’s H390 is a 250 wpc dual-mono integrated amplifier with its distortion targeted by the Norwegian company’s feed-forward Soundengine 2 circuit design. Internal Ethernet streaming and a bit-perfect (non-upsampling) DAC hook us directly into t… - 82 days ago, 31 Oct 19, 3:10am -
The 2019 UK HiFi Show Live. The same ingredients but a new venue: the Grandstand at Ascot Racecourse, which gave it a really different feel, the imposing architecture generating a real sense of occasion. Tasteful grandeur, a statement without braggin… - 82 days ago, 30 Oct 19, 10:31am -
Schiit Audio enter the gaming/podcast space this week with a pair of products first teased at RMAF 2019. The Fulla 3 adds an ‘electret’ microphone input + automatic level control + 24bit AKM ADC to the company’s transportable AKM AK4490 DAC and… - 83 days ago, 29 Oct 19, 8:31am -
Future-Fi? That’s high-end audio for those who care not for the journey of system compilation and its (potentially) endless revision but would rather an all-in-one, set-and-forget hardware purchase. How do manufacturers talk to this kind of consume… - 85 days ago, 28 Oct 19, 1:29am -
iFi pitches the xDSD primarily as a mobile DAC with an onboard headphone amplifier, its 2200mAH rechargeable battery sufficient for up to 8 hours’ playtime. The line-out mode also makes it suitable for connection to the pre-amplifier section of a l… - 88 days ago, 25 Oct 19, 4:54am -
