"Black" Background – Roger Skoff writes about what it's really like. Have you ever been to the beach? No, I'm not kidding. There really are millions of people—unlike us here in California or on either coast—who live nowhere a major body of water, and whose only idea of the beach comes from movies. So, for... Read More »
This Recent Finds includes an eclectic selection of music from the NativeDSD catalog. What's the common thread? In each case, I found the music engaging, the performers/performances excellent, and the sound quality at a very high standard. Beyond that, it is highly varied group of albums. Frans de Rond us gives another of his marvelous... Read More »
This Recent Finds edition is back to HDTT releases. Some new and some from a few years past that are past due for a review. All are very nice. In fact, four of them are included in my recent Pure DSD256 from Analog Tape: My Top of the Pile listing—albums that were always a reference... Read More »
Buffalo, NY, August 4, 2025 -- Bluebird Music, distributor of fine audio products for 25 years, is pleased to announce their appointment as North American distributor of the extraordinary Peak Consult loudspeakers from Denmark. Peak Consult speakers have been reviewer favorites for decades. While well-known in Europe, the line has been missing from the North American market —until... Read More »
5 August 2025, Cambridgeshire, UK: AVID, the British analogue hi-fi manufacturer, has unveiled the new EVO TWO, an advanced 3.5-way floorstanding loudspeaker and the new flagship of its three-strong EVO series. Hot on the heels of the new Relveo turntable launched in July, AVID’s latest release in its special 30th anniversary year expands the company’s... Read More »
Audio Advice Live 2025 took place August 1-3, in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel. I hadn't been to Raleigh in over sixteen years, and I have to admit—I honestly didn't recognize it at all, it's grown so very much! Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina and its second largest city;... Read More »
Ye Olde Editor on his deck with the sun, a son, a cigar, Port, and some fine outdoor music, contemplating.... Happy Valley, OR, 2023 (Photograph by John Robinson; image processing by YOE himself.) Passion is a long, deep road...often life-long. You have your list; I have mine. Among other fine audio passions—and they are many—is... Read More »
Three-day event brings home entertainment fans together for an unforgettable experience in Raleigh. RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA—July 29, 2025: Just days away, the fourth annual Audio Advice Live event is set to transform the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, into an oasis of home-entertainment experience. Taking place August 1–3, the nation’s largest home-entertainment show provides a... Read More »
Legendary Heritage Series loudspeakers featured in must-hear two-channel demo July 29, 2025 (Indianapolis, IN) — Klipsch brings fresh energy to its iconic Heritage Series at this year’s Audio Advice Live, introducing new designs and technologies that blend premium performance with modern design sensibilities. Attendees will experience one of the first public demonstrations of the Heritage... Read More »
July 29, 2025 — Focal Naim America will bring its latest high-end audio to Audio Advice Live 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Attendees will experience an immersive Focal Naim 7.4.4 home theater, the new Focal Diva Utopia and Diva Mezza Utopia, and Focal’s high-fidelity headphones in Hannover I ballroom. Focal Naim Immersive Home Theater Room... Read More »
The Flying Burrito Brothers were formed in 1968 by former members of The Byrds Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons (1946-1973), who both had similar backgrounds in rural music. Their debut album was the critically acclaimed The Gilded Palace Of Sin (A&M SP 4175), released in February of 1969. A few months prior to recording The... Read More »
Buster Williams (photograph by Michael Oletta) Sound, despite its constant incursion on each day's human complexity, defines an essential emotional framework of our too distracted lives. Music is the ultimate agency and augmentation of the brute episteme sound confers on thought and feeling. That sonic world precedes us. It survives our brief time on earth, irreducible to memes, generalities and intellectual explication.... Read More »
Cary Audio, a leader in high-end audio innovation, proudly announces the launch of the DMS-300A Streaming Integrated Amplifier, the latest evolution in its acclaimed DMS product line. Designed to deliver the ultimate in sonic performance and streaming convenience, the DMS-300A combines Cary Audio’s renowned amplifier technology with robust digital connectivity in a single, elegant component. At... Read More »
We would like to inform you of a recent update regarding our new A-Series, introduced in the press release sent on the 30th of April 2025. Due to a naming similarity with another product in the audio industry, we have updated the name of the AURELIA loudspeaker to AURELLE. We kindly ask you to reflect... Read More »
AudioQuest is delighted to introduce its newest ZERO-Tech speaker cable, Brave Heart — bigger, quieter, and altogether better than any speaker cable AQ has offered at its price. There are a number of technical details, both external and internal, that contribute to Brave Heart's outstanding combination of performance and value. Bigger Physically, Brave Heart is... Read More »
I've been following Bert van der Wolf-Oude Avenhuis' hints about seeking a new dedicated recording space for well over a year. And now it is coming into focus with a lovely old church building he and his wife have purchased. Soon High Street Studio in Heerewaarden, Holland, will be a reality and music will start... Read More »
The audiophile digital music software scene has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past decade. Streaming services have increased their dominance and almost every audiophile I know, has transferred most of their CDs into digital files and stored them in multi-terabyte hard drives, especially since the price of very high-capacity hard drives, even SSD versions,... Read More »
Bob Witrak continues to mine pure gold from the vast past catalogs of great music, great performances, and outstanding recordings. In this edition of Recent Finds, I want to share six new releases I've been very pleased to see: three classical and three jazz, all in outstanding sound quality. Opera Ballets, Ferenc Fricsay, Berlin Radio... Read More »
AXPONA, aka Audio Expo North America, was the vision of Steve Davis (his then store HiFi Farm was one of the first advertisers in my fledgling, late ‘nineties audio magazine Ultimate Audio magazine) and the late Andrew Spaulding, his close friend and audiobuddy. Steve speaks of his audiobuddy in very fond terms recalling Andrew as,... Read More »
1970s HITS COLLECTIONS RETURN IN QUADROPHONIC 4.0 & HI-RES STEREO TRANSFERRED FROM FOUR-TRACK QUAD MASTER TAPES — ON BLU-RAY NOW EXCLUSIVELY AT RHINO.COM ORDER HERE (July 18, 2025 - Los Angeles, CA) Rhino’s Quadio spins the dial straight to the heart of 1970s radio and continues the Elektra 75th anniversary with four hits collections: Judy Collins’... Read More »
"Having heard the Evo at Axpona, I absolutely loved it. Well done Richard." - Tom (Bought the first customer pair, so he wasn't lying) NEW QUATRO Wood CT Evo Vandersteen Audio has announced the Quatro Wood CT Evo, a significant advancement in ease-of-use based on Quatro technology while maintaining the same level of performance as the... Read More »
John Marks is a multidisciplinary generalist and a lifelong audio hobbyist. He was educated at Brown University and at Vanderbilt Law School. He has worked as a trial and appeals lawyer; as a music educator, recording engineer, classical-music record producer and label executive; and as a music and audio-equipment journalist. He was a columnist for... Read More »
Atlanta, GA. USA - July 17, 2025 — GIK Acoustics introduces the Sound Block StackPack, a bundled acoustic solution offering scalable, high-performance control for critical listening environments. The StackPack combines three purpose-engineered GIK Sound Blocks into a single, space-saving vertical array, suitable for professional studios or audiophile listening rooms. The StackPack delivers targeted acoustic control... Read More »
Tangent offers a unique take on songs by contemporary artists, played by an adept piano jazz trio in extraordinary Pure DSD high-resolution sound July 17, 2025 – Jazz musicians have always adapted the songs of the day to a jazz style and feel. With Octave Records’ latest, Tangent, pianist Charles Blenzig and his trio have... Read More »
As you know by now, I enjoy the recordings produced by Bert van der Wolf-Oude Avenhuis. So, when I saw that he'd released a series of live performance recordings with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and conductor Andris Poga, I just had to get them all for a listen. These live recordings are part of a... Read More »
AZLA, the renowned name in innovative personal audio solutions, proudly announces the release of the A100 Smart DAC Headphone Amplifier, a portable solution designed to elevate everyday listening to audiophile-grade performance. Redefining Portable Audio Compact yet remarkably powerful, the A100 is equipped with a Hi-Res DAC Adapter capable of 32-bit / 384kHz playback, enabling it... Read More »
Ortofon's been in the audio business for 107 years now, and they have been producing the ever-popular SPU product line of moving-coil phonograph cartridges since 1959. Ever since the Ortofon SPU product line of phonograph cartridges made its debut, music and audio enthusiasts have been enamored with their big, bold, exciting, liquid, naturally warm, and... Read More »
Today we have a wonderful organ recording from Base2 Music, one that was included in my earlier article, Outstanding Organ Recordings in DSD256 and DXD (HERE), but am only now getting to writing a review. Also included is a remastering of one of my favorite Ben Webster albums, Gentle Ben, from 2xHD. From the new... Read More »
Roger Skoff at the 2024 LAOC Gala (photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson) For this month's column, Roger has departed from his usual essay format. Instead, he is sharing a YouTube video in which Norman Varney of AV Room Service interviews him about audio cables. You'll find the interview at: Mic Check Ep:... Read More »
This is a republication of our good friend Frank Doris's article in Copper magazine, Issue 218, back in May of this year. Frank's writing is first-rate, as are his sensibilities...I love this man's stuff!...republishing his work with the blessing and permission of Paul McGowan of PS Audio. Dr. David The Hill Plasmatronics speakers in Brian... Read More »
Craft Recordings has just reissued Sixties psychedelic icon Norman Greenbaum's 1969 debut album, Spirit in the Sky. While its eponymous title track quickly became the anthem of a generation, other than an extremely limited release on Record Store Day in 2014, the LP has been out of print for fifty-five years. An entertainingly diverse album,... Read More »
FIRST-EVER DOLBY ATMOS MIX, ARRIVING ON BLU-RAY AUGUST 8 RHINO HIGH FIDELITY SERIES DEBUTS LIMITED EDITION VINYL VERSION OF THE MULTI-PLATINUM ALBUM, CUT FROM THE ORIGINAL ANALOG MASTERS, LIMITED EDITION OF 5,000 NUMBERED COPIES SPECIAL EDITION INCLUDES TWO BONUS REPLICA 7-INCH SINGLES BOTH AVAILABLE AUGUST 8 EXCLUSIVELY AT RHINO.COM PRE-ORDER NOW (July 11, 2025 -... Read More »
Craft Recordings' mid-year selection of releases in the Original Jazz Classics (OJC) reboot series features six new titles, including a pair on the Vee Jay Records label that have never appeared as OJC's prior to now. Those include two albums from pianist Bill Evans, both coming from 1962, including the trio setting Moon Beams and... Read More »
The first of its kind, Network Acoustics’ origin is a unique hybrid DC power supply designed exclusively for digital devices used to stream music. Network Acoustics initially conceived origin to address the problem of electronic noise emitted by home routers. However, they quickly discovered that it had an equally profound impact when used with any... Read More »
July 8, 2025 - Focal elevates the world of high-fidelity once again with DIVA MEZZA UTOPIA, a bold new evolution in the prestigious Diva Utopia line from the French acoustic innovator. Wireless, active and seamlessly connected, it embodies the pinnacle of Focal’s craftsmanship and technological expertise. With its striking design and extraordinary acoustic performance, Diva... Read More »
This article of Recent Finds contains a truly disparate array of albums, but all of which I've enjoyed immensely. They are all beautifully recorded, supremely well performed, with interesting music that should be heard. I hope you will find something here that tickles your fancy. Mine has been tickled nearly to death listening to these.... Read More »
In an earlier article, I posted my list of Pure DSD256: My Top of the Pile albums for sound quality. In this article, I'd like to expand on this and share some Pure DSD256* albums transferred from analog tape that I consider my top of the pile for sound quality in this category. I decided... Read More »
