Today's Home Audio Headlines

April 17, 2014 - At Highend 2014 in Munich we will launch the new soulution 560 D/A-Converter. Top class digital-to-analog converters followed by preamplifier grade output stages transform every detail of the digital source material in to the analog…
- 4 days ago, 17 Apr 14, 9:04am -

Back in the mid-Nineties, I was still in the throes of home-theater madness and wrote: “Very soon, stereo will be only an output setting on your multichannel system.” Obviously, I was wrong. But many audiophiles do require a system that can serve…
- 5 days ago, 16 Apr 14, 9:26am -

The Fine Sounds Group, parent company to Sonus faber and iconic high-end audio brands McIntosh, Audio Research Corporation, and Wadia, rolled out the red carpet to its global distributors and a handful of audio journalists for a two-day event at Sonu…
- 5 days ago, 16 Apr 14, 6:44am -

Join Robert Harley in his listening room for a personal tour inside The Absolute Sound's Illustrated History of High-End Audio, Volume One: Loudspeakers. This informative and entertaining video provides an inside look at this landmark 320-page large-…
- 6 days ago, 15 Apr 14, 7:53am -

California-based Aesthetix has carved out an enviable niche producing very-high-performance products that, while not budget-priced, nonetheless offer extraordinary value. The company’s Calypso linestage, Rhea phonostage, Janus full-function preampl…
- 7 days ago, 14 Apr 14, 8:10am -

The 2014 AXPONA (Audio Expo North America), scheduled for April 25–27 in Chicago's completely refurbished Westin O'Hare, promises to the biggest and most comprehensive US consumer audio show east of Denver.
- 3 hours ago, 21 Apr 14, 4:51am -

A month ago, flying to South By Southwest 2014, the numbers on paper were grim. According to the March 15, 2014 issue of Billboard the overall unit sales of music were down 12.2 percent year–to–date. Looking at weekly unit sales figures, t…
- 3 days ago, 18 Apr 14, 12:47pm -

Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parkerby Stanley Crouch (New York: Harper, 2013), 365 pp.
- 4 days ago, 17 Apr 14, 10:49am -

On the mantel sat a stuffed Culo snake from Nuevo Laredo, with a red rubber tongue in freeze-frame flick. Above the bookcase hung the mounted head of a wild poi dog, killed in self-defense in Sri Lanka with only a Phillips-head screwdriver.
- 4 days ago, 17 Apr 14, 10:44am -

It's been getting closer and closer the past few days. But this morning, Stereophile's Facebook page got its 20,000th "Like."Woo hoo!!!!
- 5 days ago, 16 Apr 14, 4:47pm -

US Federal Copyright Law does not protect music recorded before Feb. 15, 1972. This Copyright protection, however, can be provided at the State level, such as NY State, which is where Vivendi SA's Capitol Records Inc and UMG Recordings Inc, Sony Corp…
- 2 hours ago, 21 Apr 14, 6:11am -

It's a beautiful day to get out and about and pop in to your favorite record shop! Happy hunting! Record Store Day Special Releases.
- 2 days ago, 19 Apr 14, 5:52am -

It's so....organic. So bossa nova. So sultry. Five female vocalists including LouLou Ghelichkhani, Elin Melgarejo, Karina Zeviani, Natalia Clavier, and Shana Halligan join Thievery Corporation's Eric Hilton and Rob Garza and more than a dozen guest m…
- 3 days ago, 18 Apr 14, 5:09am -

I have a love/hate relationship with streaming services. OK, to come clean I mostly don't enjoy them. I find streaming services restrictive and narrow in the music they present to me according to their notion of my taste. I grow impatient with the "l…
- 4 days ago, 17 Apr 14, 2:47pm -

Another Micro DACI don't know about you, but I think choice is good. The micro DAC market has seen a rabbit-like infestation of products including the AudioQuest Dragonfly, Meridian Explorer, HRT MicroStreamer, Audioengine D3, Arcam rPAC, LH Labs Ge…
- 4 days ago, 17 Apr 14, 5:03am -

I bought some Logitech Z506 surround speakers for my PC, but after hooking them up I found the front right speaker (the one with the thick black...
- 2 hours ago, 21 Apr 14, 5:49am -

Hello i am new to this forum and i want to improve my sound from my mediacenter. I am owner of a popcorn A-410. This mediastreamer got just a...
- 4 hours ago, 21 Apr 14, 4:00am -

Currently: 2 monoblocks / 1 preamp / 1 Mac Mini (with 1 SSD boot) + PSU Considering: A) CI Audio Transient MK II DAC + VDC-5 MK II PSU /...
- 6 hours ago, 21 Apr 14, 2:01am -

Hi Guys, Just to share with you that, i've since purchased M2Tech's New Version of its Young DAC. Compared to the older young, the instrument decay...
- 16 hours ago, 20 Apr 14, 4:05pm -

Hi all, using a Dell Inspiron one 2330, lately I've been fiddling with different audio settings in an effort to try out different dac's well...
- 21 hours ago, 20 Apr 14, 10:55am -

Quote from: adrianc on Today at 02:36 pmYes B329 made by Brimargray plate?it's very rare.most are black plates.
- 4 mins ago, 21 Apr 14, 7:37am -

Yes B329 made by Brimar
- 5 mins ago, 21 Apr 14, 7:36am -

Can I have number 3, please. Thank you!
- 6 mins ago, 21 Apr 14, 7:35am -

Quote from: FULLRANGEMAN on Today at 01:45 pmTHis small tube had a paper label.  One must remove the paper label before use the tube to avoid over heating??if you removed that paper label it will lost a l...
- 7 mins ago, 21 Apr 14, 7:34am -

Quote from: adrianc on Today at 01:00 pmGEC(OSRAM,MARCONI) ECC81(82,83)?made by BRIMAR
- 8 mins ago, 21 Apr 14, 7:33am -

 "For sale is a pair of KEF M200, great condition, has been taken good care of, including..."
- 7 mins ago, 21 Apr 14, 7:34am -

 "Cayin headphone tube-amp.   Like new. Bought this month.   Changing set-up, so grab..."
- 13 mins ago, 21 Apr 14, 7:28am -

 "For now, I'm back in the market for a tube amp, looking for a Stratus. Not in any sort..."
- 26 mins ago, 21 Apr 14, 7:15am -

 "I own orange ("Pumpkin") UrbanEars Plattan. The headband got really dirty over time,..."
- 30 mins ago, 21 Apr 14, 7:11am -

 "Up for sale Stax SRM-323S (Japan model) perfect working and condition. Voltage can be..."
- 1 hour ago, 21 Apr 14, 6:28am -

Another Record Store Day has come and gone, with many of my friends and our readers home counting their booty. And yes, some of this shit has gotten incredibly overpriced to the point where it is starting to look just a bit like exploitation, but all…
- 1 day ago, 19 Apr 14, 8:57pm -

For a company to be a market leader or maintain its position as one, it has to be bold and willing to take some risks, challenge its R&D team to go beyond its comfort zone and build a product for a market that didn’t previously exist. That’s ex…
- 7 days ago, 14 Apr 14, 6:16pm -

Rogue Audio, out of Brodheadsville, Pa., has been building rugged tube components since the 1990s, and as a result, the company enjoys a fiercely loyal customer base. Under the direction of owner and lead designer Mark O’Brien, Rogue makes great-so…
- 7 days ago, 14 Apr 14, 5:47pm -

Mobile Fidelity continues their excellent job of remastering the Elvis Costello catalog with his tenth album.  Never charting higher than #39 in the US, this record received more than its share of critical acclaim. Though it was not terribly success…
- 14 days ago, 7 Apr 14, 11:18am -

Recorded at the Cellar Door in Washington DC over a three-day period from November 30 to December 2, 1970, the latest in Neil Young’s “archives” series hits the record store shelves in vinyl format, lagging the CD by a few weeks. If you were pa…
- 14 days ago, 7 Apr 14, 11:13am -

For Audio Research, this 75-watt stereo amplifier represents a return to sonic form and to the basic circuitry design pioneered by the late Wm. Z. Johnson, one of the true artists of the high end...
- 5 Dec 13, 5:29am -

When I listen to these speakers I hear the music, and only the music, and there is really nothing more to say than that.
- 2 Dec 13, 1:12am -

The Wyetech Ruby STD is a hidden treasure for the analog music lover. We say hidden because if people heard this preamp, it would be the talk of the town...
- 25 Nov 13, 5:23am -

These amplifiers could never be considered an ordinary, run-of-the-mill, fly-by-night product. This is no impulse purchase to be sold on AudiogoN months later. If you buy these amps, you will keep them because you will love them...
- 21 Nov 13, 5:12am -

  In the professional audio industry the name Nagra is synonymous with precision. For over 50 years, Nagra has been an industry leader in developing analogue and digital...
- 23 Oct 13, 7:10am -

It was my good fortune to accompany my wife to New Orleans, one of the most food crazy cities in the world, where she attended a three day business conference. This gave me some free time to explore the French Quarter, not only for food, but for reco…
- 7 days ago, 14 Apr 14, 6:35am -

For some time now I have not had a preamplifier for my audio system. I rid myself of it when I acquired a DAC that has a built-in digital volume control (within its DAC chip). At the time of that decision, it was a no-brainer: I only had my DAC as a…
- 13 days ago, 8 Apr 14, 7:29am -

Vivaldi – Concertos for Two Violins [53:41]D Sinkovsky & R Minasi - Violin / Il Pomo D’OroNaive OP30550 (2013)Concertos for Orchestra [51:14]Concerto Italiano / AlessandriniNaive OP30554 (2013)It has been my great pleasure to sample frequen…
- 17 days ago, 4 Apr 14, 6:00am -

In my recent review of the DEQX HDP-4, I mentioned that a USB card was going to be made available for connection directly from a computer to the DEQX unit. Audiophilia colleague, Karl Sigman, suggested the time had arrived to get into computer based…
- 33 days ago, 19 Mar 14, 10:20am -

Winterreise (Winter Journey) is a song cycle for voice and piano by Franz Schubert published in 1828. Along with his earlier Die Schöne Müllerin, the two song cycles are the benchmarks for the genre. In Winterreise, Schubert uses the poems of Wilh…
- 42 days ago, 10 Mar 14, 9:47am -

Wavecor Ltd's new line of high performance steel frame subwoofers are the latest members of their Balanced Drive line of transducers.
- 3 hours ago, 21 Apr 14, 4:20am -

Enjoy the Music.com is pleased to announce sister site Enjoy the Music.TV will be streaming live at AXPONA 2014 from April 24th through 27th!
- 3 days ago, 18 Apr 14, 5:25am -

Enjoy the Music.com just posted part 2 of Rick Becker's extensive Salon Son and Image 2014 show report.
- 3 days ago, 18 Apr 14, 5:20am -

While everyday should be music day no matter what format you so choose, tomorrow is officially Record Store Day.
- 3 days ago, 18 Apr 14, 4:20am -

Channel D has released a major update to its Pure Vinyl software.
- 4 days ago, 17 Apr 14, 4:20am -

This website and domain are for sale. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to maintain the site with new content as family priorities require that I devote my time elsewhere. 30-Day Google Analytics: Visits – 3,631 Unique Visitors – 3,228 Pageviews…
- 46 days ago, 6 Mar 14, 8:21am -

The AudioQuest DragonFly and the CEntrance DACPort have gained some rave reviews due to their portability and sound quality.  But if you’re like me and been holding off on one of those little USB DAC “dongles” because of their 96kHz sample…
- 11 Feb 13, 2:34pm -

I try to focus our reviews and articles on more affordable high quality audio – and for that reason don’t often get to talk about McIntosh Labs.  They make some amazing equipment that sounds great and lasts for decades and makes for a strong sec…
- 20 Jan 13, 4:10pm -

If you’ve ever purchased high-resolution albums from David and Normal Chesky’s ever expanding HDtracks, but were put off by their strange and quirky Java download manager, rejoice!  Released today, their new download manager is an installed app…
- 2 Jan 13, 5:08pm -

Some of you may be aware of the Sicphones project on Kickstarter that ran successfully this fall.  It was able to gain enough funding to produce somewhere around 100 headphone amplifier kits.  My box of parts arrived last week and I was finally abl…
- 31 Dec 12, 10:31am -

Who in Sydney specialises in repairing , changing speaker surrounds?RegardsM
- 1 hour ago, 21 Apr 14, 6:37am -

Item: Cambridge Audio 840CLocation: Northern Adelaide HillsPrice: $600Item Condition: ExcellentReason for selling: Surplus to requirements. Moving housePayment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD OnlyExtra Info: Highly regarded CDP in excellent condit…
- 1 hour ago, 21 Apr 14, 6:23am -

Item: Redgum i35ENRLocation: Northern Adelaide HillsPrice: $675Item Condition: ExcellentReason for selling: Moving housePayment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD OnlyExtra Info: Approx 7 years old. Remote function retrofit carried out. Spare remote,…
- 1 hour ago, 21 Apr 14, 6:13am -

Item: Firestone Audio Spitfire DAC modded with OPA627Location: Kew, VICPrice: $165Item Condition: Good condition with a tiny scratch on the bottom. Reason for selling: I got a DacMagic Plus which I think is marginally better. Payment Method: Picku…
- 2 hours ago, 21 Apr 14, 5:18am -

Hey guys just putting the feelers out! Im changing my room around and the new position of the hifi no longer allows me to place the gear in between the speakers any more..So just seeing what decent cables are out there at a little over the standard…
- 3 hours ago, 21 Apr 14, 4:51am -

LG has announced the release of its Connect SDK (software development kit). The open source software is designed for Google Android and iOS developers, giving them more options to connect mobile devices and apps to large screen TVs.
- 3 days ago, 18 Apr 14, 8:40am -

After making their debut at CES back in January (http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Streaming/Ultra_HD/4K/Sony/Sony_Spotlights_2014_4K_Displays_and_Content/13525), Sony's new collection of Ultra HD TVs are now available for pre-sale. The lineup i…
- 4 days ago, 17 Apr 14, 7:23am -

Hulu and Criterion have announced the extension of their 2011 streaming deal. As part of the renewed agreement, Criterion will continue to offer a growing library of exclusive titles on Hulu Plus.
- 5 days ago, 16 Apr 14, 9:27am -

Rumors about the LG G3 (http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Quad_HD/Galaxy/Smartphones/LG/Samsung/_Samsung_and_LG_Smartphone_Rumors_Heat_Up_/13637) have been swirling for several months, and now it looks like the company has finally confirmed one…
- 6 days ago, 15 Apr 14, 9:52am -

Taiwanese display manufacturer AUO has unveiled a new 5.7-inch AMOLED panel. With a 1440p screen and 513ppi, the screen is now the world's highest resolution panel of its type.Read more... (http://www.avrev.com/home-theater-news/industry-trade-news/…
- 7 days ago, 14 Apr 14, 9:54am -

It is fair to say that reviews of the HAP-Z1ES have been very positive and sales have been strong. Not surprisingly, this has led to requests for sonic upgrades for the unit from audiophiles and music fans alike. Responding to this interest, two comp…
- 3 days ago, 18 Apr 14, 6:21am -

The HB Cable Design PowerSlave Marble Power Distributor affects an immediate Rx by putting in place the most solid foundation I've encountered. It begins by firming up the loose bass—actually, everything from 20–20kHz benefits from firming.
- 3 days ago, 18 Apr 14, 6:21am -

For years, I've ripped CD's, or downloaded music from the Internet (legally, of course) and have always found it difficult that most people simply don't understand how to properly tag the metadata!
- 3 days ago, 18 Apr 14, 6:21am -

Any concerns we might have about the Air Force One, or AFO for short, are dispelled as soon as we look behind the curtain to see who is behind all this, tinkering, soldering and putting it together. The man perched over the table is Mr. Hideaki Nishi…
- 3 days ago, 18 Apr 14, 6:21am -

Hendri’s company, Vermöuth Audio, was founded quite recently, in 2010, and is headquartered in Bali, Indonesia. As we read in the company literature, it started as a small audio store selling high-end loudspeakers, cables and acoustic panels.
- 3 days ago, 18 Apr 14, 6:21am -

Twin peaks. AURALiC’s Taurus MKII (US$1899) is a balanced headphone amplifier that also doubles as a pre-amplifier; the latter isn’t the main game of this unit and neither is it the focus of this review. I’ve spent the last four or five months…
- 11 hours ago, 20 Apr 14, 8:41pm -

It’s no secret that the sound quality of Apple’s white-wired earbuds leaves a whole lot to be desired but if not those, then what? Think different. Pay a casual visit to your local store and you’ll likely see earbuds outnumbered and outgunned…
- 3 days ago, 17 Apr 14, 8:58pm -

I’ve been sounding the ‘different music’ horn for a while now: audiophile societies and store demonstrators need to move with musical times if they are to swell their numbers and attract younger listeners. Playing music with which newcomers ar…
- 7 days ago, 14 Apr 14, 1:40am -

(That headline sounds kinda sci-fi-regal doesn’t it?). IKEA caused much wailing and gnashing of teeth among the audiophile community earlier this year when it announced plans to discontinue its EXPEDIT range. In various configurations, EXPEDIT shel…
- 8 days ago, 13 Apr 14, 5:57pm -

I wouldn’t normally report on rumours because rumours aren’t news…but this one’s a biggie: MacRumors has today reported that 24bit downloads might be just round the corner for the Apple iTunes store. Never mind a simple jump to plain old loss…
- 10 days ago, 10 Apr 14, 11:02pm -