Loading...

In a high performance / high resolution audio system everything matters. Every link in the chain needs to be optimized to the greatest extent possible, including cabling and connections. Good power and signal connections require quality connectors. n my experience, connector quality is a significant contributor to good cable performance. Connection points can be sources... Read More »

Dragon2 USB Cable by Dragonfire Acoustics After 8 years of development by Dr. C, creator of Dragonfire Acoustics, comes his statement product:  the Dragon2 USB Cable. Trying it in comparison to the best of the best of the USB cables that I have access to here brought its attributes into focus. With superb solid connectors... Read More »

Focal are a company who need no introduction in the world of Hi-End audio. With a well-established vertically integrated base, the French company have developed a strong foothold in an already saturated marketplace. Originally versed in loudspeaker technology, the brand have made use of their extensive R&D knowledge to create a line-up of game-changing headphones.... Read More »

Core Power Deep=Core 1800 Sometimes the job of an audio reviewer is hard. This is especially true for things like cables, power conditioners, and other components outside of source devices, preamplifiers, amplifiers, and speakers. Not only is there a fundamental debate in the audio world over whether or not these non-audio producing / processing devices... Read More »

Photo by John Marks The above photo was not taken in Ireland, but it perhaps could pass; and in any event, it will have to do. For St. Patrick's Day, here are Nathaniel Rosen (cellist), Doris Stevenson (pianist), and Arturo Delmoni (guest violinist) playing Fritz Kreisler's trio arrangement of "Londonderry Air," also known as "Danny... Read More »

The Berlin Philharmonic has just made a really classy move:  in view of the coronavirus pandemic, they have removed the paywall on their archived content. To put it another way, you can now binge-watch exceptional classical music performances for free. While hunkering down under the electric blanket and waiting for the wine-store delivery person to... Read More »

Just a mere month ago, Audio Tourism looked like the next new thing. Given the continuing demise of brick-and-mortar retail salons, regional, national, and international audio shows were popping up all over—how brilliant was having a show in Florida in February, not in Miami, not in Orlando, and not during school vacation week? But then,... Read More »

With a strong pride for American-built products, Schiit are the company behind some of the best value for money propositions in the amplifier and DAC market. Their playful style and thematic nomenclature have helped entice a wealth of consumers into the entry-level market, earning them many accolades from across the globe. The Schiit Vidar is... Read More »

The telltale sign that everything was right—better-than-right—appeared when I set my CH Precision M1.1 monoblocks to produce a flat response, meaning bass, mids, and treble were output in equal measure, just as they were designed to do at the factory. Previously, I had found it necessary to boost the mids (or lower the treble) to... Read More »

Over the past four decades I have had the pleasure of taking my readers through, and helping them understand many different music formats. During the 1970s we saw the compact cassette take over from vinyl records as the dominant format for music consumed at the mass-market level. The compact cassette was then eclipsed by the... Read More »

Heads up! I have just received the following very important letter from Joel Davis of JD Events regarding the rescheduling of AXPONA 2020, and share it with our readers: "Dear AXPONA Community, AXPONA has been rescheduled from April 17-19 to August 7-9, 2020 out of concern for the health and safety of all participants due... Read More »

The Road Goes On Forever...  A long time ago, a wise old soul told me that if folks work hard and save their pennies, they can likely afford to pursue a single spend-iferous hobby during an otherwise humdrum human existence...And although I doubt the veracity of that anecdote, I get where he was going with... Read More »

This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations 126. Zoot Sims and Al Cohn with Cecil Collier, Either Way. Fred Miles – FM-1 (1961), Classic Records JP 1006 (1998) 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: jazz, small combo swing, cool jazz, West Coast, jump blues. Tenor saxophonists Zoot Sims and Al Cohn head a cool swinging rhythm... Read More »

Jump back in time to May 2016; Beth and I are going through probably the most difficult period of transition in our lives together. We'd just sold our house of thirty years, and our closing date was rapidly approaching. And we were in a mad scramble to move all our belongings into multiple storage units.... Read More »

DethonRay is a new boutique audio brand started by Anson Tse— a figure with many years of experience in the industry of personal HiFi. Their first and only product so far is the DethonRay DTR1 Prelude—a compact digital audio player that does without the bells and whistles of contemporary players, and focuses primarily on sound... Read More »

"Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Blue." Has anyone not heard that famous phrase before? If not then I have seriously dated myself and will move on. That being said though, all of that phrase is exactly what the TNJ Turntable is all about! One of the never changing rules in this business /... Read More »

Was könnte man einem Audiophilen empfehlen, der schon alles hat? Genau, einen Digitalen Audio Prozessor der Spitzenklasse! Hier drängt sich einer der Pioniere dieser Geräteart geradezu auf: der Koreanische Hersteller Astell&Kern.

Ein in die Jahre gekommener Lautsprecher muss nicht automatisch eine kostenintensive Neuanschaffung bedeuten. AperionAudio bietet mit dem Super Tweeter Aluminium eine interessante Alternative, mittels eines Super-Hochtöners nicht nur den Hochton selbst aufzufrischen, sondern gleich die gesamte Klangbalance des Lautsprechersystems neu auszurichten.

Ich habe es Melco zu verdanken, dass ich meine gerippten CDs und hochaufgelösten Audio-Files schon seit Jahren nicht mehr per Computer abspiele. Inzwischen umfasst das Angebot der japanischen Digital-Spezialisten nicht nur diverse Musikserver und Netzwerkspieler, sondern auch ein für Audio-Anwendungen optimiertes Switch.