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One of the things I have learned to expect and appreciate in my search for high-value, lower-cost equipment is that as the price goes down the differences between gear increase, and the need to understand your biases and preferences becomes more important as you will have to accept certain compromises. As I have listened to... Read More »

I first heard the Vanatoo Transparent Zero (T0) speakers at the Los Angeles Audio Show last year and was immediately smitten. The sound quality I was hearing from speakers—available at an introductory price of $299 (now $359)—had me scratching my head wondering how so much could cost so little. Add to that 2 x 48... Read More »

Linn did it. Meridian has also done it. So have Naim, Avantgarde, Burmester, Gryphon, and a host of other brands, mostly hailing back to great European heritage and lineage. Naturally, one may ponder the who, the what, the it may refer to, and you would of course be right in that quest. Here, this question... Read More »

Alta Audio started for what I think was a great reason. Someone asked. This is the story of a long-time audio-industry person and speaker designer deciding to leave the field, and then a reviewer friend saying, "Hey I want to be able to own current versions of your wonderful speakers—don't stop making them!" I like... Read More »

The missing tweeter I've had the same pair of YG Anat speakers going on seven years. That's the longest I've owned any reference component by far. And still the Anats' give no cause to go out looking. They do everything well. If I notice a performance shortfall, it won't be the speakers I'm looking at.... Read More »

As the science of astronomy moves forward, many of the ideas about how the universe has formed continues to evolve. The accepted theory used to be that galaxies formed from gas clouds and star clusters coming together. Over time gravity gathered enough material together to form the various galaxies in the universe. Only lately has... Read More »

Goin' Back to Indiana A few weeks ago, I boarded from Orlando a packed United Airlines flight bound for Chicago's O'Hare Airport, the first leg in a trip that would take me to Goshen, Indiana, the home of my good friend Greg Weaver. Many of you will know Greg through his work here at PF,... Read More »

One of the better rooms I heard at the 2017 Los Angeles Audio Show featured the Silverline Audio Minuet Grand speakers. These relatively small, two-way stand-mount speakers were putting out a big, big sound that was dynamic and engaging when I came by. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to spend in this room, but... Read More »

"Whattya got in these things—gold bars?" chortled the mover; he and his partner grappling the last of the heavy crates around the turn in my staircase. "Nah, better than gold," I replied, electric drill in hand. "These are stereo speakers." His eyes went wide. The Wilson Audio Alexia Series 2 had arrived, and in the... Read More »

Wooing the Parents with the Focal Sopra No. 1 Loudspeakers I encountered Focal's exceedingly fine Focal Sopra No. 1 compact loudspeakers for the first time at the 2017 AXPONA audio show in the Audio Plus Services suite. Their beautiful sound and stunning good looks literally took my breath away. Paired with affordable Naim electronics (if memory... Read More »

Thursday morning, December 7th, I was treated to a private unveiling of the new YG Acoustics Sonja Series 2 loudspeaker. As a guest of Dick Diamond, YG's Director of Sales & Marketing, and Bill Parish, owner of GTT Audio & Video, in Long Valley, NJ, I was granted the privilege of spending the entire day... Read More »

Last weekend Lynn and I attended the launch of the YG Acoustics Sonja Series 2 Loudspeaker. The event followed the format of recent product unveilings hosted by GTT Audio in New Jersey. Each press attendee was invited to a personal listening session with Bill Parish and Dick Diamond, the YG Director of Sales & Marketing,... Read More »

I've been doing this for a long time, playing with audio gear since early 1970s. But it was heading to Rochester, NY for college in 1975 where I was finally in a city with several high quality audio shops and people I could hang out with who owned nice (dare I say high-end) audio systems.... Read More »

Little in Name Only After a number of reviews of products from Indonesian company Vermouth Audio it was time to sample where it all began. The company's founder, Hendry Ramli, started the company on loudspeakers, so I was excited to finally listen to a pair. Enter the Little Luccas MkII Limited Edition (with what Hendry... Read More »

German loudspeaker manufacturer Audio Physic celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2015.  In the world of high-end audio, 30 years is quite an achievement. Equally laudable, Audio Physic's initial loudspeaker, the Tempo, has been in continuous production since 1986, albeit in numerous evolutionary incarnations. The latest version of the Tempo, the Tempo plus, embodies everything that Audio... Read More »

On Sunday October 15, 2017, the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society held its monthly meeting at the beautiful Weinhart Design audio emporium in Bel Air, CA. The main draw for this meeting was an opportunity to audition the Carver Amazing Line Source (ALS) Speakers from the Bob Carver Corporation. But, not only would... Read More »

Sizing Things Up Straight out of the box, the new Von Schweikert Audio Unifield 2 Mk III Loudspeakers (a replacement for the highly regarded Mk II version that came out several years ago) remind you that they are no ordinary compacts. For starters, these hefty beasts tip the scales at just over 50 pounds—each. Speakers in... Read More »

I've used the same pair of speakers for 22 years. (And they still surprise me.) They're nameless and were made for me by Richard Marsh: a pair of Dynaudio cabinets with Dynaudio drivers and crossovers built by Richard. He said I should call them DS-something—so how about Marsh/Dynaudio DS-1? He'd made a pair for himself,... Read More »

For many years my music has been enjoyed through small, two-way stand mounted speakers. Although ones listening room usually dictates the size of the speaker they purchase, my 12X20 foot den can accommodate speakers bigger than a stand mount monitor. And it has. My current speakers are floor standers and fit quite nicely in that... Read More »