It happens from time to time that a Japanese traveling in the world falls in love with a place or person and that's where he sets up his business. But for a Westerner to start a company in Japan - it's a real rarity. And in the audio industry it is an absolute rarity. This... Read More »
Munich High End 2019 Atrium 4, F221 Marking CH Precision’s 10th anniversary. L10 line-stage with dedicated external power supply and more powerful M10 mono/stereo power amplifier (300 W/RMS into 8 Ohms stereo, over 1kW RMS into 8 Ohms in bridged mono mode, with bi-amped and high-current mono configurations as well). The same proven topologies (fully balanced,... Read More »
Happy Little Accidents Bob Ross (1942-1995) was the loving host of the 1980's TV show The Joy of Painting. He enjoyed the peace, serenity, and most importantly; the process of creating a beautiful painting on a blank canvas. Many of our listening spaces are blank canvasses. But, despite the usual claims that great low-frequency reproduction... Read More »
WORLD PREMIER at the HIGH-END SHOW Playback Designs chief architect, Andreas Koch, long known for his innovative hardware and proprietary software, will demonstrate Hi-Resolution synchronization of audio and video files capable of 4k video and DSD4 (DSD256, or Quad DSD) audio. The AV presentation captures the complete passion and energy of the musician(s) at the... Read More »
"It's style over substance," I thought, seeing the Tentogra Oscar turntable for the first time. It was during the Audio Video Show 2017. "It's probably style over substance," I said to a friend when I saw the same turntable a year later at the Audio Video Show 2018. The change was subtle, because "probably" does... Read More »
Twenty questions with an audiophile who is also an artist. For this premiere, we feature Joshua Miles of JWM Acoustics. What's your background? My primary background is in visual arts and industrial design. After establishing myself in this world, I began my engineering work in acoustics and recording technology. What's integral to the work of... Read More »
I am very grateful to Stereophile's John Atkinson for alerting me to an extraordinarily well-thought-out and, to me at least, persuasive identification of the "Hidden Theme" of Elgar's "Engima" Variations. Here's the link to Ed Newton-Rex's case that, when Elgar commented: through and over the whole set [of variations] another and larger theme "goes", but is not played... Read More »
New features include: Dual ESS Sabre ES9038PRO DACs Greater Power Output 5-pin Mini XLR Quad-Core CPU, More Internal Memory and Larger Battery Updated UI, Support for MQA and Open App Service Tokyo, Japan - Astell&Kern, a global leader in portable high-resolution audio players, launches the KANN CUBE, the second model in the KANN performance line, today at... Read More »
The M-CR612 Delivers High Performance, Voice-Controllable Playback from a Variety of Digital and Analog Sources VISTA, Calif. (April 22, 2019)—Marantz®, manufacturer of the world’s most musical-sounding audio components, today announced the Marantz M-CR612 compact network CD receiver. The feature-rich Hi-Fi mini system is ideal for passionate listeners looking for a simple solution without sacrificing the beautiful... Read More »
AUDIRVANA, the world-renowned audio playback and management software for hi-fi quality, launches its new version 3.5 for MacOS with new Sound Quality enhancements and a completely new User Interface Paris, 25 April 2019 – AUDIRVANA, maker of the leading expert audio software for Mac, has redesigned the software and is thrilled to unveil its new... Read More »
Furutech Co. Ltd. • Tokyo, Japan, manufacturer of ultra-refined analog, digital, video cable and accessories, invites you to Hall 3, J01 where we will introduce an new model to our new ultimate Cable and Connector damping solution featuring Furutech’s revolutionary NCF sound enhancing material and introduce several new power connector series. Furutech will be debuting... Read More »
LampizatOr NA (Destination Sound Group) is proud to announce our new appointment as the exclusive North American Dealer for Final Touch Audio ("FTA") cables. FTA is a small family company born out of pure love and dedication to music. It combines technical proficiency with the artistic craftsmanship, as each one of our products is completely... Read More »
This year's European AES show was in Dublin, which seemed a bit of an odd choice for a location because there is not a huge audio production community there. So the show was small, but it was interesting because the people who did show up were dedicated folks. Room Treatment Usually at the US shows... Read More »
Okay, so let's cut to the chase, the Black Cat Matrix line of cables (specifically the 3202 interconnects, 3232 speaker cables, and the DIGIT USB) are exemplary. Stunningly good for the price. Competitive with cables I have here that cost several times the 3202 interconnect's $699.95 per meter, 3232 speaker cable's $649.95 per 1.5 meters,... Read More »
Continuing on with our coverage of AXPONA 2019. All images by Dave Clark, along with some added commentary. Pure Audio electronics Interesting turntable in the Marketplace, where there were lots of interesting things to see! DH Labs. Great people and great product! Besflores Nievera with a panel in the Marketplace discussing streaming services. Schiit Audio... Read More »
I've always thought of the Thorens TD-124 as one of the most beautiful of the classic turntables, which for whatever reason, reminds me of being the 1955 Ford T-Bird of the turntable world, a classic car which I also happen to greatly admire. Artisan Fidelity Thorens TD-124 Statement / Classic Long-Base Turntable I had lusted... Read More »
Continuing on with our coverage of AXPONA 2019. All images by Dave Clark, along with some added commentary. Distinctive Stereo, German Physiks, Mojo Audio. A lineup of AVM Audio USA products. First turntable for AVM called the Rotation. Very cool, it lights up blue and shines through the platter. ELAC had two rooms, both equally... Read More »
Continuing on with our coverage of AXPONA 2019. All images by Dave Clark, along with some added commentary. Another engaging room, Bel Canto e1X DAC / Control preamplifier, $6500, and e1X amplifier, $6000. Audiovector SR 3 Avantgarde Arreté, $9999. AudioQuest Niagara 1000 power filter. HRS Audio stand. High Water Sound. Horning Hybrid Systems Eufrodite Ellipse... Read More »
Continuing on with our coverage of AXPONA 2019. All images by Dave Clark, along with some added commentary. Source Systems Limited, Esprit Audio, fidata IO Data Devices, Lumin Music by Pixel Magic Systems. M2TECH. Jim Clark Stereo, located in central Illinois, interesting to us as Dave's brother is named Jim. They featured Bob Carver, Mytek,... Read More »
Photo by Katarina Benzova A few weeks ago I received an unassuming enough looking email from Cameron Black of the PR firm Noyd Communications, asking me if I would like to experience a unique VIP on-stage experience for the Aerosmith: Deuces Are Wild concert at the MGM Park hotel's Park Theater in Las Vegas. Wait... Read More »
Dateline: April, 2019 Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center. Schaumburg, Illinois Welcome back my Friends, to the show that (hopefully) never ends! (Apologies ELP.) I arrived at the 10th annual AXPONA on Thursday afternoon. The Renaissance Convention Center was a buzzing audio-hive of controlled chaos. Crates and boxes were everywhere. Audio systems taking shape, tweaking started.... Read More »
AXPONA is a big show. Big as in massive. Big as in I don't know how someone can cover almost 200 rooms in three days. I'm sure one could find many places online that offer in-depth reviews of individual rooms, but you won't find that here, for the most part. Here you will find a... Read More »
SPEC Corporation is a Japanese company founded by Mr. Shirokazu Yazaki, former chief engineer of TEAC and Pioneer, in order to achieve one goal: to provide a tube sound with solid-state amplifiers. The RPA-MG1000 amplifier is its latest and the most expensive product. And it's a Class D one. If we were to adopt an... Read More »
Bottom line. AXPONA 2019 was a blast! I have not seen any numbers just yet, but I feel like AXPONA 2019 was very well attended and will be considered another big success story. I was only able to participate on Friday and Saturday, but many friends and contacts in the Industry seemed very pleased by... Read More »
Wojtek Karolak & Adam Czerwiński, In a Sentimental Mood. The album In a Sentimental Mood by leading jazzmen Wojtek Karolak and Adam Czerwiński, is one of the best vinyl records of recent years—both when it comes to music and sound. The text below is about how it was recorded and released, as well as what it... Read More »
Award Winning Performance-enhancing Connector & Cable Supports Multi-material hybrid construction: an original Furutech design For superior connector and cable damping Multifunctional NCF Booster and NCF Booster-Signal Performance-enhancing Connector & Cable supports Not only do the Furutech NCF Booster products lift audio cables off the floor minimizing their points of contact with the floor, reducing electromagnetic interference, they also excel... Read More »
From Tents and Pods to a Remodeled Hotel Two years ago, I made the trek to Denver's Marriott Tech Center Hotel to attend the 2016 edition of the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF). It was an unusual event as the hotel was under construction and much of the show was held in tents and pods... Read More »
Audeze Sound in a Planar Magnetic Nearfield Desktop System Main Floor | Adventure Room Next to the Ear Gear Expo The Dragonfire Acoustics Mini Dragon Planar Desktop Speaker System is the latest innovation from Dr. Dragoslav Colich, Audeze’s pioneering Chief Technology Officer. Join us at Dragonfire and audition the system from 4/12 to 4/14 at... Read More »
This is an important year for Rethm Loudspeakers, for two reasons..... Firstly, we have recently completed a major re-work of our premium line of speakers ( Saadhana, Maarga, and Trishna ) -- the first major change since the line was introduced several years ago. The cosmetic changes are significant but not "radical," and they have... Read More »
There are times when I think the iPod in my car can read my mind. I have it perpetually set to shuffle all songs. It's old, and sometimes it doesn't do a very good job of shuffling, not to mention the fact that because we take that car on trips there is a lot of... Read More »
From Poland With Love! LampizatOr North America will present the world debut of the Golden Atlantic 2: Tube Rollers Paradise (“T.R.P.”) in Room 546. This will be the first public showing of LampizatOrs' latest achievement in Digital Analog Conversion, which features a tubed output stage and supports all PCM frequencies as well as up to 8xDSD... Read More »
Vallejo Jazz Society Presents: DARIA and Her Trio at Empress Theater, Vallejo, CA Sunday, April 28, 2019, 5 pm - 7 pm Featuring: Frank Martin, Piano Daniel Lucca Parenti, Bass Deszon Claiborne, Drums Get Tix: HERE
We will be using the Zotl40 Reference Amp in Chicago, at AXPONA this week in room 606. We will also be showcasing the new MZ3 as a preamplifier with our Raven Loud speakers and the Tredegar Turntable & ModWright Instruments’ Ph 9.0 phono preamp. This is a fantastic system you won’t want to miss. Over... Read More »
Egglestonworks Demos Kiva, Debuts Entry-Level Stunner! Schaumberg, IL—April 12, 2019: EgglestonWorks, Memphis-based manufacturer of handcrafted, “Small-Batch” loudspeaker systems, will be displaying at 2018 AXPONA, at the Renaissance Schaumberg Hotel and Convention Center, room 1222, starting Friday, April 12. EgglestonWorks will be demonstrating their acclaimed Kiva loudspeakers ($14,995/pr). Known inside the company as “Baby Viginti,” Kiva... Read More »
SEMINARS, PARTNER DEMOS & MUSIC GIVEAWAYS New York/London, 3 April 2019: MQA, the pioneering company delivering authenticated master quality music in a file small enough to stream, will be participating in the Master Class series and supporting its many partners at AXPONA 2019. Attendees can learn about MQA’s award-winning technology and experience master quality sound... Read More »
Fronting the system is Bergmann Audio’s Galder turntable and Odin air-bearing tonearm. We’re very excited to carry Bergmann’s products in the US, so much that we’ve invited Johnnie Bergmannhimself to our room to do the honors and introduce his amazing masterpiece to the public. And, with such an amazing analog rig, we're bringing our reference... Read More »
PrimaLuna’s New Product Line Unveiled Next Week! April 3, 2019: PrimaLuna’s new EVO Sereis of Tube Electronics will make its North American trade show debut next week at AXPONA, 12-14 April, at the Renaissance Schaumberg Hotel and Convention Center, Schaumberg, IL. PrimaLuna will unveil this innovative new product line in the Inspiration Room, on the... Read More »
