I've written before about legendary Decca recording engineer Kenneth Wilkinson and the extensive collection of his recordings available from High Definition Tape Transfers. Since my original introductory article (HERE), HDTT has released more Wilkinson engineered recordings that are very much worthy of comment. And, I've found a few in the catalog that I'd missed before.... Read More »
Rembrandt Frerichs is a remarkably eclectic and innovative jazz and world musician, synthesizing rhythms and sounds from many cultures. In this thoroughly engaging premier recording of his piano concertos, he collaborates with five string players from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and his long-time partner in The Rembrandt Trio, percussionist Vinsent Planjer. The result is a... Read More »
MISTELBACH, AUSTRIA (April 19, 2022) - Sumiko and Pro-Ject USA are proud to announce the new Phono Box DS3B, Phono Box S3B and X8 Turntable from Pro-Ject Audio Systems. The new products aim to offer listeners a truly balanced experience, resulting in dynamic sound, less noise and improved signal to noise ratios. The Phono Box... Read More »
Seven years in the making, the new TD307MK3 has been designed (and refined) for the modern music lover Kobe, Japan, 20 April 2022: ECLIPSE has launched a new loudspeaker, the company’s first new model in seven years. The new TD307MK3 is a compact, full-range speaker for the modern music lover. Several years in the making,... Read More »
April 20,2022–Youngstown, OH–SVS, leading manufacturer of high-performance speakers, subwoofers, wireless audio, and accessories, proudly announces the SVS Sound Path Digital Optical Cable, a new addition to the brand’s popular audio accessory line bringing reference audio performance to more people than ever. Compatible with standard and high-definition devices with an optical or TOSLINK port, the polished... Read More »
Premium materials, inspired engineering, and a protective five-layer insulation system ensure sonic purity and protection from RF and electromagnetic interference. April 20,2022–Youngstown, OH–SVS, leading manufacturer of high-performance speakers, subwoofers, wireless audio, and accessories, proudly announces the SVS Sound Path Balanced XLR Cable, a new addition to the brand’s popular audio accessory line bringing reference audio... Read More »
Sumiko Introduces the Phono Box DS3B and S3B Plus the Latest Turntable Design in the X Series MISTELBACH, AUSTRIA (April 19, 2022) - Sumiko and Pro-Ject USA are proud to announce the new Phono Box DS3B, Phono Box S3B and X8 Turntable from Pro-Ject Audio Systems. The new products aim to offer listeners a truly... Read More »
April 22 - 24, 2022 This weekend, MOON will be exhibiting a selection of its premium music products at Axpona (Audio Expo North America). Following a successful product showcase at the Montreal Audiofest in March, the MOON team is now excited about meeting more of its North American customers at the Illinois event. For Axpona,... Read More »
Three weeks ago, I had the pleasure of introducing you to the two new KRONOS Resonance Suppression tonearms, the Kronoscope RS and the Discovery RS. In that episode's interview with Louis Desjardins, recorded in his factory in Montreal, he indicated that he would be sending me one of the new Discovery RS arms to install... Read More »
Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble, Couldn't Stand The Weather. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, UD1S 2-007, UltraDisc One-Step, Original Master Recording, 2 x 12" 45 RPM SuperVinyl 180g LPs, Numbered Limited Edition, Remastered, Deluxe Edition Box Set, 2021 First up...the 2021 Mobile Fidelity Ultra Disc 1 Step remaster (UD1S 2-007) as two, 12-inch 45 RPM LPs... Read More »
Gingko Audio has been developing vibration control products since 2000, from the award-winning Cloud 11 platform, which has been on Stereophile’s Recommended Components list since 2004, to the patented ARCH (Acoustic Resolution Clarifier). For 2022, we are introducing our newest solution, the Cloud22™, which uses lamb wool as a vibration control material. The Cloud22 bases complement... Read More »
Kenny Dorham, Matador (Impex Records) Another masterpiece from Impex Records, Matador is a real sleeper. Originally released in 1953 on the United Artist label and now back in print for the first time in nearly 50 years, this title by Kenny Dorham deserves an early nomination for the reissue of the year! Pressed at RTI... Read More »
ThunderBird, FireBird, and Dragon are AudioQuest’s best-sounding, most sonically invisible interconnects yet — category-defining products that establish new benchmarks of transparency and musical pleasure, bringing us significantly closer than ever to our sonic ideal of completely invisible cable. AudioQuest’s 42-year history of designing and refining analog interconnects has been a long, steady climb up a... Read More »
Florida International Audio Expo Feb 17–19, 2023 New name, same venue . . . music, sun, and fun return! Tampa, Florida—April 2022—Back for its fourth year, the newly renamed Florida International Audio Expo (formerly the Florida Audio Expo) will be held Friday–Sunday, February 17–19, 2023, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Airport Westshore hotel. Attendees will... Read More »
Baia Mare, Romania, April 15th, 2022. Meze Audio, award-winning headphone company based in Baia Mare, Romania, announces the launch of ADVAR, the newest addition to the company’s earphone lineup. Powered by a 10.2 mm single dynamic driver, ADVAR stays true to Meze Audio’s endearing signature, delivering powerful, smooth, velvet-like sound that matches a variety of... Read More »
Buffalo, NY, April 13, 2022 --- Bluebird Music, distributor of high-performance audio products since 2000, is pleased to announce the new Vienna Acoustics Liszt Reference loudspeakers. The Liszt Reference is a completely redesigned version of Vienna’s Liszt speaker and joins Vienna’s other new Reference models: Beethoven Baby Grand Reference, Beethoven Concert Grand Reference and Maestro Grand Reference. The Liszt... Read More »
Chord Electronics has incorporated its proprietary Ultima amplifier technology into its smallest amplifier design to date. Anni is the company's first desktop integrated amplifier, capable of delivering 10 watts of amplification to headphones and speakers via 3.5mm, 6.35mm, and banana-type speaker outputs. In a full system, it's ideal for driving headphones, small desktop speakers, and... Read More »
Glasgow, Scotland Linn today announces the launch of exciting new upgrades for existing Linn owners. The groundbreaking performance of their first-ever, entirely homegrown DAC – ‘Organik’ – is now being rolled out as a retrofit upgrade, available for all variants of Klimax DS and Klimax DSM – even the very first generation from 2007. Linn’s... Read More »
The Brand Is Thrilled to Celebrate Its New All-In-One Wireless Speaker VICENZA, IT (APRIL 7, 2022) – Sonus faber is honored to announce its Omnia speaker has been awarded the Red Dot Design Award, recognized in both “Audio and “Innovative Product” categories for product design in 2022. Announced in February of this year, Omnia combines... Read More »
AXPONA Set for 4/22 - 4/24 in Schaumburg, IL Qobuz, the music lover's go-to Hi-Res music streaming and download platform, is on the road this year and will be the official streaming partner of North America’s biggest audio conference: AXPONA (4/22-24 in Schaumburg, IL, outside Chicago). At the show, Qobuz will be featured in many... Read More »
Most of you probably recall that I attended the 2022 Florida Audio Expo (FAE) in February in Tampa; I've covered the last two consecutive shows there for Positive Feedback. And you may also recall that I raved about The Audio Company's room this year, which once again occupied the largest space at the entire show,... Read More »
April 1 – 30: 10% off Focal’s newest High-end Headphones Made in France, these top of the range headphones incorporate exclusive Focal technologies, the result of cutting-edge research in acoustics and Focal savoir-faire. Celestee – Closed-back - $899 at dealers or Amazon Celestee - High-end closed-back headphones | Focal Clear Mg – Open back -... Read More »
Octave’s reference-quality vinyl LP compilation release includes solo piano, jazz, classical, pop and more – Boulder, Colorado, April 5, 2022 – PS Audio’s Octave Records announces a limited-edition vinyl LP of its Audiophile Masters, Volume I reference-quality compilation album. The disc features 10 previously released tracks by a variety of Octave Records and other artists including... Read More »
Certification Signifies Seamless Integration into Custom Install and Smart Home Systems Binghamton, NY (April 5, 2022) – McIntosh is pleased to announce that its MX100 A/V Processor has implemented Simple Device Discovery Protocol (SDDP) and has received Connects with Control4 Certification from Control4®, the smart home brand for Snap One. To work with a Control4... Read More »
New THX Certified Monolith on wall and satellite speakers deliver the highest level of accuracy for an ideal home theater listening experience Brea, Calif., April 5, 2022 - Monolith, the high-end audio brand from Monoprice, today announced the addition of three new THX® Certified Compact home theater speaker solutions. With a variety of new, premium... Read More »
One can only hope that this release marks the beginning of a full cycle of recordings of the Beethoven Sonatas for Violin and Piano from Rachel Podger and Christopher Glynn. If this initial album is any indication of what might be in store, such a cycle would be a wonderful gift. Beethoven Sonatas for Violin... Read More »
The Mythical Creatures first appeared among the power cords. Then we spotted them among the speaker cables, and more recently, my colleague Wolfgang Kemper tracked down a few HDMI cable specimens. Now, Richard Drees, Sales Director for Germany, and Rob Hay, Marketing Director for Europe, released the NF cable variants directly into my listening room.... Read More »
Roger Skoff explains… We've all seen them: The LP turntable that's gold-plated, stands four feet tall, weighs hundreds of pounds, and costs as much as a small house before inflation set in. There's also the utterly gorgeous gold-plated or solid solid silver—meaning chassis, wiring, and even the wiring of the hand-wound transformers—electronics that have come... Read More »
Kobe, Japan, 4 April 2022: ECLIPSE has said goodbye to a much-loved and critically acclaimed flagship loudspeaker, the TD712zMK2. Its ‘early retirement’ comes sooner than expected due to delays in introducing its replacement, caused by COVID-19-related slowdowns and schedule disruptions. The Kobe factory is actively working on an exciting new flagship that incorporates new ideas into its design. The... Read More »
The X Centro Mk II is intended to be used as a centre channel to provide an unparalleled sound performance in its category and price point, with an unprecedented level of musical accuracy in multichannel music systems and home theatres. Like its predecessor, the X Centro, the design was based on the XC model and... Read More »
Los Angeles, CA: April 4, 2022, T.H.E. Show welcomes Jiles McCoy of Home Theater Fanatics and Scott Lylander of Audio Acoustic Engineering as Ambassadors for T.H.E. Show’s 2022-2023 programming. Between them, McCoy and Lylander bring over 30 years of experience in hifi, audio, and home theater. With their knowledge and passion, they will be an... Read More »
This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations 186. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, Masterpieces by Ellington. Columbia Masterworks – ML 4418 Mono (1951), Analogue Productions – APJ 4418-45, 200g (2017), 180g (2021), (2x45 rpm). Genre: jazz, swing, orchestral big band. The title says it all, these are masterpieces by a master of music. I... Read More »
Melco’s new flagship £4,995 S10 data switch delivers the true potential of networked audio sound quality 31 March 2022, Tokyo, Japan: Melco Audio has launched a high-end network switch, which for the first time, benefits from a separate high-performance linear power supply for the ultimate in networked audio sound quality. The new S10 becomes Melco’s flagship... Read More »
Lloyd Walker: portrait with baseball cap. Happy Valley, OR, 2016 And now my good friend Lloyd Walker, of Walker Audio, has passed away. A great audio designer gone. Another memoriam, like the too-many that I have written over the years. They're always hard, and this one is going to be particularly so. So much so... Read More »
Vocalist and saxophonist Jeremy Mohney pays tribute to the swing-era sound with a set of 10 originals in stunning high-resolution DSD and SACD audio Boulder, Colorado, March 30, 2022 – Octave Records announces the release of Dreams of You by vocalist and alto saxophonist Jeremy Mohney, a recording that hearkens back to classic swing-era and traditional jazz, yet is... Read More »
The Thiele TA01 Tonearm If you are a regular reader of Hifistatement, you probably will have come across the name Thiele. But even if you don't, it's most likely that you know or own a product that Helmut Thiele had a hand in creating. But it's only with this very special tonearm that he steps... Read More »
A piano trio is perhaps my favorite performing ensemble. And when the performances are as finely crafted as these from the Delta Piano Trio, bliss is near at hand. Add music by Swiss composer Frank Martin, and a recording engineered by Bert van der Wolf, and my expectations are very high. And those expectations are... Read More »
