Here are more of the rooms that really impressed me at FAE 2022. Even though there were marginally fewer exhibitors than in 2020, I was definitely dragging a bit by the time I finally got home on the Monday following the show. The elevators at the hotel were always overcrowded and somewhat slow, so mid-day... Read More »
Audiophile Quality Bluetooth Speaker is World’s First to Include Support for Both apt-X HD and LDAC 24-bit Bluetooth Codecs Irvine, CA – Astell&Kern, a global leader in high-resolution audio players and accessories, launches the brand’s first audiophile-grade Bluetooth speaker, the ACRO BE100. The ACRO BE100 is the latest edition to Astell&Kern’s ACRO line of home audio... Read More »
After over four years of development, January 2022 officially sees the launch of William Eikos’s brand new loudspeaker; Aurigen. This cutting edge luxury loudspeaker uses completely new technologies and has been granted 3 European patents (bass, suspension and drive unit utilization). Aurigen allows sound images to be locked into their own spaces, creating the most... Read More »
Female trio Scabaret takes cabaret and pop into the postmodern world with impassioned vocals and songwriting, and multifaceted musical influences Boulder, Colorado, February 24, 2022 – Octave Records is proud to announce the release of Hothouse Flower by Scabaret, three multitalented women who combine impassioned vocals, virtuoso piano and viola playing and a variety of diverse musical influences, to create... Read More »
Today I am pleased to introduce what will be a new series of articles, one which will feature closer looks at some of my favorite recordings. I have been posting such "snapshots" of many of my favorite LPs on Facebook for years as abbreviated takes on specific recordings, often digging into the history and significance... Read More »
VICENZA, ITALY (February 22, 2022) – Sonus faber is thrilled to announce the premiere of Omnia, the brand’s new premium wireless speaker. Combining Sonus faber’s Italian heritage and design expertise, the Omnia wireless system enhances the listening experience with a suite of features that allow users to connect a variety of media with new, innovative... Read More »
Eagan, MN, 2/22/2022 - The following is a transcription of a video statement from Jeff Haagenstad, regarding the digital audio company Exogal. The video can be seen here. Hi There. I'm Jeff Haagenstad, the former CEO of the audio company, EXOGAL. If you're seeing this video, you've either tried to go to our website or... Read More »
Lahaina HI, February 22, 2022: Living Sounds Audio is pleased to announce the availability of the LSA VT-70, a vacuum tube integrated amplifier utilizing EL-34 output tubes. The VT-70 features remarkable performance and an extraordinary set of features including dual meters, a built-in headphone amp, and a metal remote control. The VT-70 is priced at... Read More »
Volume IV features exceptional DSD and SACD audio quality and a wide range of jazz, acoustic-based, string quartet and other musical styles Boulder, Colorado, February 17, 2022 – PS Audio’s Octave Records has expanded its catalog of reference-quality sampler discs with the release of Audiophile Masters, Volume IV. The new disc offers a varied range of musical styles, and features... Read More »
The Q Acoustics Concept 50 floorstanding loudspeakers made quite an impression! Tenacious Sound featuring Q Acoustics, Perlisten Audio, Cyrus, and Unison Research Audio dealer Tenacious Sound operates multiple locations; one in Augusta, Georgia, a second in Syracuse, New York, and a third in Nashville, Tennessee. They represent a wide range of audio manufacturers, and at... Read More »
This year marks my second trip to the Florida Audio Expo (FAE), and the first visit since 2020—last year's show was canceled because of the pandemic. The possibility that FAE 2022 would go on seemed tenuous at best, especially with the unexpected rise of the highly contagious Omicron Covid19 variant. But things began to get... Read More »
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, February 11, 2022 — Wireworld Cable Technology, one of the world's most respected brands of high-performance audio and video cables, announces the release of the Sphere™ 48 HDMI cables. These cables utilize Wireworld’s proprietary Uni-Path™ design and ultra-quiet Composilex® 3 insulation to provide improved sound and image quality. Sphere exceeds the industry standards for... Read More »
Verona, WI, February 15, 2022– Perlisten Audio, an audio company founded by an all-star team of industry professionals, is ringing in the New Year with a new speaker series. The new R Series will debut at the Florida Audio Expo, February 18-20, in Tampa, FL, with the R7t, a four-way bass reflex/acoustic suspension speaker that features performance like... Read More »
Offers 8K Video, Enhanced HDMI Features, and 16 Audio Channels (Binghamton, NY) February 16, 2022 – McIntosh is proud to announce its MX180 A/V Processor that offers the best for the home theater of today and tomorrow. With an increasing amount of blockbuster movies being released direct to home streaming, a state-of-the-art – as well... Read More »
These searching, deeply penetrating, and searingly wrought performances by Trío Arriaga of two elegiac masterpieces left me emotionally drained...and uplifted. After first listening to Shostakovich's Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor, I had to stop and collect my energy. The Arriaga's performance had simply wrung me out. In the best way—give me more, I... Read More »
David W. Robinson: a Portrait in Winter, 2020. (Photograph by John Robinson; image processing by David W. Robinson) Switching my attention briefly to high-end headphones, with three of them in my queue to write up… Headphones. I do love excellent headphones…always have. Since my high school days in Walnut Creek, CA, every opportunity I had... Read More »
PRESS RELEASE: 14th February 2022 MOON is proud to announce that its high-end audio products have been selected to appear in the new television series, Bel-Air. Based upon the era-defining The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the new show keeps the premise of the original, but transports it to modern day America and re-tells it in... Read More »
Evans, GA, 2/14/2022--- Tenacious Sound, a brick & mortar audio dealership based in the Augusta, Georgia, area and serving the Southeast US, will present multiple world product premieres in two rooms at the Florida Audio Expo in Tampa, Florida, February 18-20, 2022. The show is being held for the third time at the Embassy Suites--Tampa... Read More »
The Introduction of the Product Expands the Brand’s Award-Winning Reflection of the Rainier Collection MAPLE GROVE, MN (February 14, 2022) – Sumiko Phono Cartridges is pleased to premiere Wellfleet, the newest addition to the Rainier collection. The brand has applied and upgraded its award-winning design of the Moonstone cartridge, retuning the suspension for optimal performance... Read More »
Ye Olde Editor lighting a contemplative stick: a portrait. Spring, 2021, Happy Valley, OR. (Photograph by John Robinson; image processing by Ye Olde Himself.) The past year…another year of the plague…has been a very tragic time for humankind in general, and quite strange here at PF Central. I've known very many who've been seriously ill... Read More »
Alessandro Perpich delivers an intensely felt, personal journey through the challenging Six Sonatas for Solo Violin by Eugène Ysaÿe. Perpich is an artist new to me, on a label new to me. I wanted to hear what he would have to say because every performance of worth is unique in the artist's relationship to Ysaye's... Read More »
RADAR – Random Access Digital Audio Recorder. The first fully functional HDD non-linear recording system Or how album recorded using RADAR sound like DIGITAL SOUND RECORDING – method of preserving sound in which audio signals are transformed into a series of pulses that correspond to patterns of binary digits (i.e., 0's and 1's) and are... Read More »
Dan Zimmerman: a portrait of an artist and musician. Happy Valley, 2019. (Photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson) Why was it so easy to stare at the tube? Maybe it's because normal life felt like it was too much, felt like it kept adding something to the mix before you could adapt to... Read More »
Music Lovers' Platform of Choice Celebrates Third Anniversary on February 14th February 10th, 2022 - Qobuz, the certified Hi-Res music streaming and download platform, is celebrating three years in the US. Since its debut in the states on Valentine's Day 2019, Qobuz has led the field with best-in-class sound and premium features - digital liner... Read More »
February 09, 2022 – Succasunna, New Jersey. Orchard Audio, LLC (www.orchardaudio.com) is proud to announce the release of PecanPi DAC, Streamer, and Streamer Ultra Rev 3.0. The major update for rev 3.0 devices is the addition of a S/PDIF (coax) input. The rev 3.0 devices also use lower noise linear regulators and give customers the... Read More »
The New MA9500 and MA8950 Offer Additional Performance Benefits (Binghamton, NY) February 9, 2022 – McIntosh is proud to unveil its MA9500 and MA8950 Integrated Amplifiers, which replace the award-winning MA9000 and MA8900 and add performance enhancements to these already outstanding products. Dynamic headroom has been increased on both new models by over 50% thanks... Read More »
Celebrate! Raise joyful noises in the streets because Jared Sacks has released another wonderful album recorded in DSD256. And superb, indeed, is the sound quality of this release. Mozart & Beethoven: Wind Octets, MIB Wind Ensemble. Channel Classics. 2022 (DSD256) HERE I am always mindful that wind instruments seem most difficult to capture accurately in... Read More »
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame, narrated by Bob Attiyeh. Yarlung Records 2022 [DSD256 PureDSD] HERE What a wonderful, over-the-top, project. Yes, Toad would be proud. I grew up with The Wind in the Willows and now have the perfect way to share it with my grandchildren, ages 7 and 9. They’ve listened... Read More »
There are few more beloved classical songs than Schubert's Wintereisse. It is a true joy to hear a new performance that brings such a direct, unaffected, but deeply emotional performance as this new contribution by baritone Michael Wilmering and pianist Daan Boertien. In superb sonics from TRPTK as yet a further gift. Schubert Wintereisse, Michael... Read More »
Melco Audio has launched a new range-topping digital music library, the N10/2. The new two-box flagship is the best-performing Melco music library in the company’s history. The N10/2 is available in two distinct storage type variants: an HDD version (N10/2-H50, £6,999) plus an SSD version (N10/2-S38, £8,999). The HDD version is a direct replacement for the original... Read More »
175+ Listening Rooms, 500 Hi-Fi Audio Brands, Educational Seminars and Live Musical Performance by Toronzo Cannon SCHAUMBURG, IL (February 3, 2022) - - Calling all audiophiles, music lovers, vinyl collectors, audio engineers and musicians, AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) will open April 22-24 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center offering attendees three jam-packed... Read More »
Tampa, Florida—February 2022—Just a few weeks away, the third annual Florida Audio Expo is happening February 18–20, 2022 (Friday–Sunday), at the newly refurbished Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Airport Westshore hotel. The Expo will partner with Barbaric Nightmare Productions to host their new documentary, The New Audiophiles. “This documentary will show not only how our love... Read More »
Kent, England, 31st January 2022: Chord Electronics has launched Mojo 2, the replacement for the genre-defining original portable DAC/headphone amplifier. Almost seven years after Chord Electronics created the high-end portable DAC genre, the company’s long-standing digital design consultant, Rob Watts, has revisited, reimagined and reengineered the award-winning original with ground-breaking, world-first technology. The new Mojo 2... Read More »
Lewis Layton is among that small pantheon of engineering greats who made the golden age of stereo such a wonderful period. I've long admired his work for RCA. Many of his recordings are among the greatest classical music recordings ever made. High Definition Tape Transfers carries a great number of them. It's time to take... Read More »
FYI, Roger Skoff is the founder and President of RSX Technologies, and the former founder and President of XLO Cables, a name well known to many. He knows whereof he speaks…. Michael Riley (known to his friends as just "Riley"), was one of my co-writers in the early days at Sounds Like...Magazine, the first audio... Read More »
Features Topology Diaphragm for Outstanding High Frequency Response The Company’s second Closed-Back Dynamic Driver Headphone Includes Super-Comfortable Earcups for Hours of Listening Pleasure BELLMORE, NY, January 27, 2022 – HIFIMAN, the leader in high fidelity personal audio, is now shipping a new closed-back dynamic driver headphone with a specially designed lightweight earcup for hours of listening comfort.... Read More »
Cary Audio is pleased to introduce the expanded DMS line up. While the DMS-700 continues to be our core DMS product, we wanted to add additional products to the line to meet various needs and desires of customers. As a result, our DMS family now includes the DMS-650, DMS-700, and DMS-800 Professional Version (PV). The... Read More »
