David Fung, Evening Conversations. Yarlung Records 2006 2025 (Pure DSD256) HERE Edit Master Sourced I found myself talking recently on the phone with my friend Bob Attiyeh, the creative founder and visionary of Yarlung Records. I'm always intrigued by these occasional calls with Bob. One never knows whence they may wander. That day, Bob was... Read More »
Last year Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab began releasing six of Joni Mitchell's most iconic albums, making them all available not only as hybrid SACDs, but also in MoFi's ne plus ultra analog statement format, their UltraDisc One-Step 180 gram LP set. The series began with Ladies of the Canyon (1970), then moved to Joni's deeply... Read More »
Bob Witrak has been busy these past months with additions to the HDTT catalog. The biggest news is that the International Phonograph Jazz recordings are back! See my earlier note about this great news, HERE. Below are some of the new reissues (not IPI) that have caught my ear in recent weeks. Witches Brew, Alexander... Read More »
iRHINO QUADIO BEAVER & KRAUSE AND ROD STEWART PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED IN QUADRAPHONIC SOUND QUADRAPHONIC ALBUMS DIGITIZED FROM ANALOG FOUR-TRACK QUAD MIXES NOW ON BLU-RAY WITH QUADRAPHONIC AND HI-RES STEREO ORDER HERE (April 11, 2025 - Los Angeles, CA) Rhino’s Quadio series continues with a brand-new collection of high-quality quadraphonic releases - Beaver and Krause's All Good... Read More »
Record Store Day typically always takes place on the third Saturday of April in any given year, but for 2025, that date fell on what is a bank holiday across much of the globe, so the date was pushed forward to April 12. Rhino is again offering a broad selection of 47(!) limited edition LPs... Read More »
Craft Recordings again offers an interesting mix of collectible, limited-edition, rare, and long out-of-print LPs for Record Store Day 2025 (RSD) that's happening on Saturday, April 12. Record Store Day typically always takes place on the third Saturday of April in any given year, but for 2025, that date fell on what is a bank... Read More »
April 10th 2025, Santa Ana, CA — Audeze, the leading premium headphone manufacturer known for its award-winning technology is excited to announce the new LCD-S20 closed-back headphone, the first planar headphone featuring their patent-pending SLAM technology for powerful bass response and improved spatial imaging, along with a new magnetic earpad attachment system. At $499, LCD-S20... Read More »
The ONIX Zenith XST20 SACD/CD Transport Simplifies the Addition of Super Audio to High-end DACs Montreal, Quebec, April 8, 2025 – Forte Distribution, a leading distributor of audio and audiophile music products, announced today that Shanling ONIX Zenith XST20 SACD transport will soon be available in the the U.S. The ONIX Zenith XST20 (MSRP: $2,399)... Read More »
With a symphony of advancements to the first-ever 15-inch driver, dual monoblock amplifier, and power supply, along with the most powerful DSP ever deployed in a subwoofer at 295MHz, 5000 R|Evolution Series features flagship SVS subwoofer technology and brings reference performance to more people than ever. Youngstown, OH – April 9, 2025 - SVS, a... Read More »
Nordost, in collaboration with Stenhiem and VTL, is excited to invite all AXPONA attendees to experience a world-class, reference-level hi-fi system in the Schaumburg F Ballroom at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel in Schaumburg, Illinois, from April 11-13. The centerpiece of Nordost’s room will be their Supreme Reference cables, featuring the Odin 2 line... Read More »
Automotive journalist, amateur endurance-car racer, musician and music lover Jack Baruth challenged our mutual friend John Marks to come up with a list of the most frequently over-programmed pieces for symphony orchestra. And then, for each "War Horse" composition, come up with a "Delightful Discovery, Dark Horse" piece. John's answers ran in two articles published... Read More »
Musical Artisans is thrilled to announce their Annual Spring Open House, on Friday, April 11th, from 6:30 to 9:30 PM, immediately following the first day of AXPONA 2025. Experience several new product introductions across five meticulously tuned systems throughout the evening, with select vendors and industry representatives in attendance to answer your questions. See the... Read More »
Let there be rejoicing among fans of Pure DSD recordings—transfers from the IPI analog master tapes to Pure DSD256 are back at HDTT! They disappeared for a while when IPI owner and recording engineer Jonathan Horwich decided to retire and withdrew them. But now the International Phonograph, Inc., catalog is returned to HDTT. These albums... Read More »
Buffalo, NY – April 7, 2025—Bluebird Music proudly announces their appointment as exclusive US and Canadian distributor of the extraordinary audio electronics produced by Swiss manufacturer Orpheus Lab. Orpheus Lab exemplifies the heritage of Swiss precision engineering and craftsmanship, combined with 21st century cutting-edge technical innovation. As you would expect from the finest Swiss-made products, the... Read More »
Thousand Oaks, CA – April 7, 2025 - Zesto Audio is excited to announce the world premiere of the new Tube Athena DAC at AXPONA in Chicago on April 11-13, 2025, in exhibit room #418. The Athena DAC is an advanced digital-to-analog converter that delivers “The Best of Both Worlds.” In collaboration with a team... Read More »
Lee Scoggins at the 2017 LA Audiophile Show. Los Angeles, CA, 2017 (portrait and image processing by David W. Robinson) It's hard not to love the Tampa show. Always great weather, and the people running the show, including Bart Andeer and team, really care about the experience people are having. This year the show moved... Read More »
Apr 4, 2025 Treehaus Audiolab is excited to introduce our latest product, the LCR Phono, at AXPONA 2025. Building upon our expansive knowledge of vacuum-tube based amplification products, the LCR Phono presents the listener with fantastic, natural, vinyl sound reproduction. A proper phono preamplifier has two primary tasks. First, and what makes it specific to... Read More »
4th April, 2025: Englewood, Colorado – Monarch Systems Ltd. announces Model 8 and Model 35 Turntable with the NEW Series Vi Tonearm by SME to be launched at AXPONA 2025 with North American Distributor Monarch Systems in listening room #434 in Schaumburg, IL. A New Era of Analogue For more than 75 years, SME has... Read More »
I unabashedly love listening to early music, from medieval to renaissance. And much of this music is for voices. Not all, by a long shot, but there is a lot that is a cappella. Early music will be the theme of today's Recent Finds because this is what has consumed much of my recent listening.... Read More »
Roger Skoff writes about your system and the state of our hobby I was talking recently with a friend of mine (also a HiFi Crazy, also in the Industry) about the future of our hobby, and we came to one of those "forehead-slapper" moments—you know, when something finally occurs to you that should have been... Read More »
What: VANA Ltd., a specialty distributor providing the North American market with carefully chosen audio components from international manufacturers, will feature previews of new models and a selection of favorites from Rekkord, Austrian Audio, and Atlas Cables. The Ear Gear Experience personal audio section will be VANA Ltd.’s unofficial HQ, with display #8105 featuring a preview of... Read More »
Astell&Kern Shakes Up Digital Audio Player Line With The PS10 The PS10 marks the start of new innovation in Astell&Kern’s distinctive DAP lines Astell&Kern, a global leader in high-resolution audio products and accessories, announces the PS10, a new digital audio player (DAP). The PS10, with included docking cradle will make its global debut at... Read More »
k.d. lang, Ingénue. Because Sound Matters, 33 RPM One-Step. $99.98 The k.d. lang, Ingénue One-Step reissue from Because Sound Matters has been an absolute delight from the first day that it arrived! It is clearly my favorite reissue so far this year! I was unfamiliar with this title, yet it has been on constant rotation... Read More »
Ye Olde Editor enjoying a cigar and Single Malt at Tiberias, Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret), Israel, 2022. (Photograph by John Robinson; image processing by Ye Olde Editor himself.) A keyboard can be a piano. "It is the artist who, more than other men, is able to create something out of nothing. A whole artistic work... Read More »
March 26, 2025 - Focal presents Bathys MG, Bluetooth® headphones with active noise cancelling, delivering high fidelity sound with unparalleled purity and precision for a wireless headphone. What’s behind this sensational sound reproduction? Innovative speaker drivers. The French brand, globally renowned for its acoustic expertise, excels in its range of headphones. Exclusive technologies, enhanced electronics,... Read More »
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (March 25, 2025) — Klipsch®, a leading tech-driven audio company, proudly introduces the next generation of Klipschorn and La Scala, pushing the boundaries of performance for two of the most iconic Klipsch speakers. The new Klipschorn AK7 and La Scala AL6 models feature new modified Tractrix midrange horns, updated compression drivers, stunning new finish, and... Read More »
A couple of nights prior to performing this finger workout on my keyboard, I had a craving for some vinyl with a male vocalist. I wasn't in the mood for Joe Cocker, Jim Reeves, or Frank Sinatra. I wanted something frothy, and free from deep thought. I just wanted to be swept away by blissful... Read More »
Romanel, Switzerland – 25th March 2025 Perpetuating a long legacy of excellence in phono stages since the Nagra PL-P, the new Nagra Compact Phono offers the greater part of its predecessors’ quality and performance in a compact and elegant housing. The signal path has been simplified to the extreme to offer the quintessence of RIAA... Read More »
Southport, UK, March 25, 2025— iFi audio, a trailblazer in high-fidelity audio components, proudly introduces its latest innovation: the iDSD Valkyrie. This flagship portable DAC/Amp is for those demanding more than pure power or precision; it’s for those who seek the power to shape their own sonic signature. The Valkyrie fuses unrivaled customization with cutting-edge... Read More »
Whenever cellist and vocalist Maya Fridman releases a new album, I celebrate. Or perhaps it's a happy dance. Either way, I head off to download the album and spend some time listening. And I'm never disappointed. Maya's musicianship is superb, both as a cellist and as a vocalist. But it is probably her sensibilities about... Read More »
I don't always manage to include all recent HDTT releases that I've liked in any given article. Sometimes a little catch up is required. Thus the belated reviews of two releases missing from my last discussion, Overtures by Offenbach and Auber and Louis Armstrong meets Oscar Peterson. And a Pure DSD256 Miles Davis reissue plus... Read More »
Woodinville, WA – Genesis Advanced Technologies launched a new entry-level line-up of three passive floor standing loudspeakers at the Pacific Audio Fest in 2023. Now, after another two years of development, Genesis is proud to announce the top of the line – the servo-active G7 Samba – to be launched at the Southwest Audio Fest... Read More »
Paris, March 20th, 2025 - Qobuz, the platform for high-quality music streaming and downloads, today announced the results of an independent audit, confirming its commitment to fairer compensation for artists. In an industry where lack of transparency is often debated, Qobuz becomes the first streaming platform to have its average payout rate per stream officially validated.... Read More »
Those who have travelled with me through my notes on recent finds know that I have eclectic taste in music. I enjoy almost anything acoustic that is well performed and well recorded. Unfortunately, this also means that you have to scan through the album covers to see if there may be anything that aligns with... Read More »
With a few tweaks to the internal geometry of the original Reflection headphone cable, resulting in tighter bass response, and with 3D printed carbon fiber hardware, Clear Reflection SE headphone cable is here! As with the rest of the Reflection Cables, Reflection SE headphone cable uses our patented Matched Propagation Conductors to convey a wide,... Read More »
– Written by PS Audio’s Paul McGowan, the all-inclusive series is a complete guide to system setup and optimization, audio technology, and more – Boulder, Colorado, March 18, 2025 – PS Audio announces the release of The Audiophile’s Guide, a comprehensive 10-volume series on every aspect of audio system setup, equipment selection, analog and digital... Read More »
The new HD 550 brings a compelling new choice to audiophiles and gamers seeking next-level capability that outshines its price tag. Wedemark, Germany – March 19, 2025 – The Sennheiser brand today unveiled the HD 550, a hi-fi headphone that balances revealing performance with effortlessly smooth tuning. Boasting sprawling stereo imaging and an ultra-light build,... Read More »
