I think everyone agrees that one of the hardest things to do in audio is to get really great sound in a normal-sized hotel room. Another very difficult thing to do is to get really great sound without bringing the speaker way out into the room. Then, there is the most difficult thing of all: […]

It is impossible to know from a name, or from how the founder of the company dresses for that matter, what a component will sound like. If one were to go by appearances only, the attire of James Bongiorno or the garish blue hue of his Ampzilla amplifier might be off-putting. James, now departed, was […]

In August of 2012, I reviewed the AMG Viella V12 Turntable and V12 Tonearm. After the addition of the HRS platform, I purchase this combination. Before that, I had owned the Shindo turntable and since then I have reviewed the Artisan Fidelity Garrard Statement, the wonderful little Tri-Art Audio Pebbles TA-1, the highly innovative Thales […]

The one thing that struck me the most about Premonition Records’ latest release of an “Un-Mastered” edition of the Patricia Barber jazz standard, Cafe Blue, was the audibly more reverberating recording studio ambience. When the 1994 production was first released by the label on compact disc, it was hailed as the new Jazz forerunner of […]

Now For Some LPs That Definitely Are All About The Music I’m always hearing or reading about people in this hobby who say, “it’s all about the music.” I don’t buy that for a minute, but I do agree it should be mostly about the music. Here are a few LPs that I would only […]

Wendell Diller, Magnepan’s marketing manager for forty-three years will not attempt to sell his company’s products to you by describing the strengths or weaknesses of any of them. He has such confidence on the uniqueness and performance of his speakers that he prefers to quote his customers on their satisfactory purchases and user experiences. Diller […]

My favorite part of any show is that quest for something, anything, that stops me dead in my tracks and demands I take notice.  Better yet, a system that commands me to sit and stay a while. In that respect, I have to say that AXPONA 2016 had its share of riches. You could call […]

Read 2016 Axpona show report Part 1, Part 2   Legacy Audio / Raven Audio In a rather large ballroom, Legacy was sporting several different system configurations. The Legacy Aeris, actually my favorite of the line, was on display powered by a pair of Raven Audio 300B-based monoblocks, Metronome Transport, and Legacy Wavelet Preamp/DAC.   […]

Audio Expo North America, 2016 When it comes to audio shows, both regional and “national”, putting one on and finding that ideal weekend that can mostly likely pull in the audiophile and pre-audiophile masses is a bit of a black art. In case you haven’t noticed, some of the more successful shows have been conveniently […]

While the following is not exhaustive, it is a representation of the varied experiences I had at AXOPONA 2016. The show seemed a bit less crowded than last year, but not poorly attended. There seemed to be a balance overall on displays using digital and analogue sources. I was encouraged to see more youthful faces […]

During the past two decades in practice as a psychotherapist and Doctor of Clinical Hypnotherapy, I have witnessed most every psychological disorder listed in the Diagnostic Service Manual. This manual defines each psychological disorder which Psychiatrists, Doctors of Psychology and Doctors of Clinical Hypnotherapy treat in their practice. One of the disorders listed in the […]

In Part One, I did everything within my limited technical ability to share how this interesting and different cartridge design works. Now, let’s talk about the only thing that actually matters: how my system sounded with the DS Audio DS-W1 optical phono cartridge responsible for getting the music out of those record grooves. I can […]

Let me mention two things before I get started with the review. While visiting with Garth Leerer of Musical Surroundings, I said, “I can tell you this after living for three years with the Soundsmith Stain-gauge and now with the DS, I find these two cartridge technologies to be real alternatives to traditional magnetic cartridge. […]

At some point during my freshman year in high school, I discovered music, originally show tunes and movie soundtracks, moving gradually into a wide range of classical music and jazz.  I had very limited funds, essentially only money that I had earned from a paper route.  This was well before the advent of compact discs […]

  At the California Audio Show last August, I got to see and hear the striking Serene Audio Talisman desktop speakers. A few years ago finding a pair of powered desktop speakers was next to impossible, yet now there are so many powered desktop speakers on the market that a manufacturer has to do something […]

Prospective In 2010, I purchased and then reviewed what I honestly thought would be the last turntable I would ever own, the Shindo 301 turntable, tonearm, and cartridge. Then, two years later I reviewed the AMG Viella V12 turntable and tonearm. The AMG Viella V12, when set on the HRS M3X-1921-AMG V12, gave me everything […]

Coming hot off the review of the reference level MIT Cables Oracle V1.3HR cable system, I really had to clear my head. By far the most expensive cable I have ever reviewed, its price and performance set my head spinning. But there was no time for head clearing. I had committed to writing a cable […]

  Tracks: 1. The Look Of Love (Hal David/Burt Bacharach) – Saskia Bruin 2. Vincent (Don McLean) – Sarah Morrau 3. Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper/Rob Hyman) – Jeni Fleming Acoustic Trio 4. Your Song (Elton John) – Emi Fujita 5. A Whiter Shade Of Pale (G. Brooker/K. Reid/M. Fisher) – Halie Loren feat. Matt […]

Audio is a hobby in which a world of companies come together to create elegant electronics and speakers for music listening at home. Engineers, financiers and businessmen look at our industry and introduce new, more progressive designs when they believe they can carve out a market share in this hotly competitive arena by introducing higher […]

  This has to be one of the most common questions and complaints in the high-end audio world. It also has to be one of the oddest things about the audio community. I’ve never heard anyone ask why do “supercars cost so much” or why do Swiss watches cost a fortune. Now, of course, lots […]

A goodly number of those hoity-toity, big gun amp makers have a serious problem, it’s class D, and its name is Red Dragon Audio, the maker of the S500 amp. No, the company’s products are not made in China, but rather in Utah. The S500 looks fairly nondescript, with a brushed, bright aluminum case and […]

Classic Linda Ronstadt – Just One Look LP 1 Side A: 1. Different Drum 2. Love Has No Pride 3. Desperado 4. Willing 5. I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You) Side B: 1. You’re No Good 2. Tracks of My Tears 3. Heat Wave 4. Someone To Lay Down Beside […]

There are certain things that are so easily explored by simple trial that I feel no pity for a person who dismisses them without so much as a finger being lifted or a dime being spent to investigate. Had I been such a person I would still be putting together mediocre audio systems, and would […]

I should start this review with an apology for taking so long to get the review turned in. I had planned to do it when I reviewed the Margules Audio U280-SC 25th Anniversary tube amp and SF220.15 20th Anniversary tube line stage, but somehow got distracted. When I did the article about my three big […]

It seems that nowadays every day is national something or some other special day. I wonder if I could use the word day more in one sentence! Anyway, I declared it Duke Ellington Night at my house the other night. I got out the three LPs seen in the picture and sat down to enjoy. […]

I have reviewed the Audio Reference Technology Super SE cable system and have always come away impressed by their performance, quality and appearance. The product reviewed in this article is no exception.   Power in My Main System When most people talk about “sources” in their audio system, they are referring to a turntable, reel-to-reel, […]

Arcam is one of those well established mid/high-end companies from the UK that offer more than just a taste of the high-end at very attractive prices. For some reason, they never seem to get much further than whispers of recognition in the US, but perhaps this is about to change. Over the years I have […]

This is my short list of sweet components, and trust me, I’ll keep it short. I write plenty in my reviews, and you can find most of my thoughts regarding these products in my reviews. Without further ado, here is the list for 2015! Sweetest Budgetary move: I spent two years seeing how far I […]

Pure and simple, that is the goal at PureAudioProject, the makers of a speaker that is part DIY and part manufactured. It’s flashy, yet practical. In some respects it’s pure lunacy, and in others it’s pure genius. It goes by the name the PureAudioProject TRIO 15TB Speaker, or the TREO 15 BEYMA 150H, or the […]

Pet Peeve #4:        “You Have To Decide With Your Own Ears!” Some form of that statement has to be the most common sentiment on internet forums. I have to plead guilty to having said it many times myself. Why is it so often stated? Most likely, because it seems so obvious. Surely you can’t trust […]