A few short years back, some large Japanese global conglomerate poured its vast engineering resources into creating three components; the first, a D/A converter that would be the envy of all, one that decodes all known codecs, and performs at equivalent level as others’ flagship designs. Then it turned its attention to the creation of […]

  Several months ago a local dealer, Timbre Audio, hosted an open house featuring the principals of the company Computer Audio Design: Isabel Whitley and Scott Berry. CAD designs and manufactures passive external grounding boxes, among other products. Although I had heard of the company and had even read one or two reviews, I was […]

Read: Audio Note UK IO Ltd field-coil cartridge system Review   I group audio engineering kung-fu into 3 main categories: Concepts which have a solid theoretical basis. Concepts which have a plausible, but tenuous or inadequately researched theoretical basis. Pure Magic, based on intuition and experimentation! What we are talking about here, the sound of […]

  There are lots of cartridges out there, a handful of manufacturers being responsible for the vast majority of the technologies and shapes of them. Swapping cartridges in and out of the system to enjoy a slightly different flavor of one’s favorite music is part of the charm of the analog experience. That said, when […]

  Have you ever encountered someone who refuses to leave well enough alone?  Almost as soon as my original review of the EMM Labs MTRX amps had been submitted, Ed Meitner began tinkering with the design of the amps’ input boards. In the next five years, three iterations of the boards appeared on my doorstep, […]

Nearly six years ago in May 2018, then 38-year-old Russian violinist Lisa Batiashvili stepped onto the stage in the Berliner Philharmonie to play the Sibelius Violin Concerto with Paavo Jarvi conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker and the rest is history. The Sibelius work is known for its strenuous cadenzas and flowing passages that are incomparable in […]

The initial article regarding my search for a new digital front end concluded with a recommendation of the Aurender A20 (see review) as an excellent choice for those wishing to obtain great sound for a streamlined HiFi featuring a digital front end. This past week I spoke with an older industry insider who a couple […]

  Benchmark Media is known for its small-footprint digital-to-analog converters such as the discontinued DAC2 and current-production DAC3 series, as well as analog-to-digital converters. The AHB2 bridgeable stereo amplifier, a pair of which being the subject of this review, was first introduced in the fall of 2014, and was the topic of a recent discussion […]

TICKETS & PRIZES Top Prize: Audio Note UK M1 Phono Preamp, retail $3,400. 7/24/24 Update: Winner – Douglas Fong. Congratulations! 2nd Prize: PS Audio Sprout100 + ELAC speakers package, retail $1,099. 7/24/24 Update: Winner – Chris Kutina. Congratulations! Online ticket sale has ended. Please purchase your tickets at the CAS Registrar. Each ticket qualifies as one entry. […]

ROOMS 6 Rooms Updated: 7/18/2024 CAS Facebook page live streaming on Friday, 7/19/24 schedule at-a-glance: 10-10:15am: Sound Lab as represented by Sound Lab Elecrostat Japan, Dr. Vinyl, MA Recordings. 10:45-11am: Audio Cafe. System: Clarisys Piccolo ribbon speaker system, WestminsterLab REI pure class A monoblocks, WestminsterLab Quest preamp, WestminsterLab Autria Alloy cable system, LampizatOR DAC. 11:15-11:30pm: […]

This past September I had the opportunity to attend the Nelson Pass Amp and Speaker Camp, which is held each year in Sebastopol, California. The camp has been going on for some years and has grown in popularity. This was my first time and I found it to be a fun day out. I don’t […]

CAS10 (2023) Show Report CALIFORNIA AUDIO SHOW 2023 Hilton Garden Inn,  Emeryville, CA September 22nd through the 24th, 2023 Produced by Dagogo   Exhibitors at this year’s California Audio Show, held from September 22 through 24 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Emeryville, CA, showcased extraordinary electronics and speakers to the San Francisco Bay Area audiophiles. […]

    One of the highlights of the California Audio Show 2023 was getting a “goody bag” containing a double album and two CDs compliments of record producer Cookie Marenco.  All of the music was performed  by piano player Fiona Joy Hawkins and also included in the performance was the violin played by Rebecca Daniel.  […]

CALIFORNIA AUDIO SHOW 2023 Hilton Garden Inn,  Emeryville, CA September 22nd through the 24th, 2023 Produced by Dagogo   California Audio Show is back, taking place September 22nd through September  24th, 2023.  I have  attended a number of California Audio Show as both an attendee and writing for dagogo.com going all the way back to […]

Audio Note UK system 1 & 2 details Room: 12th Floor, Room 1222/1223 AN-CAS 2023-1 AN-CAS 2023-2

Lately I am experiencing a renaissance of system building regarding the source. I have turned my attention to streaming and file playback devices and have noticed the progress Aurender is making. Many fine HiFi shops carry it. After a positive experience at AXPONA, where no less than 20 units from the company were in use, […]

Voxativ Acoustic Technologies system details Room: 12th Floor, Room 1218 System details: Voxativ Ampeggio (2023 15th anniversary edition) full-range loudspeaker system. 12,900 USD per pair. Voxativ T211 SET integrated amplifier. 23,900 USD. Weiss Audio DAC502 (Qubuz hi-res streaming) Voxativ cable system and rack Acoustic Science Corp. IsoThermal Tube Traps

Technics / AudioVision SF system details Room: 12th Floor, Room 1215 System details: Technics SR-U1000 digital integrated amplifier Technics SL-1200G-S turntable with Clearaudio Virtuoso V2 moving-magnet cartridge Technics SL-G700M2 Network SACD player Rogers LS 3/5a Classic 15 ohms bookshelf speakers Harmonic Resolution System Isolation Nordost Heimdall2 cable system Quadraspire Sunoko Vent Shelf/Isolation Acoustic Science Corp. […]

I needed a small pair of desktop speakers after I downsized my office back in 1999, so after a little research, I found one of the many user review sites that gave a $300 per pair of speakers called the Acoustic Energy Aegis One a unanimous 5 out of 5 rating on all reviews. I […]

  A.R.T., Bricasti Design, Sound Lab system details Room: Lobby Silver Ballroom Music system: Acoustic Science Corp. IsoThermal Tube Traps Audio Reference Technology Sensor Haute Couture Mains (2). $42,600; $21,300 each. Sensor Haute Couture XLR (2 pairs). $52,600; $26,300 per pair. Analyst EVO speaker cables in spade termination. $20,200 per pair. Analyst EVO power cables […]

  Flashback moments There was a time years ago when I acquired a vintage Apogee panel speaker. It was the smaller model, the Caliper, which greatly eased the process of moving it downstairs into my listening room. I finally had my opportunity to hear the magic of a true planar ribbon (hereafter ribbon) speaker! Life […]

  Doug Schroeder interviews Florian Wiegand of Clarisys Audio. This is a companion piece to the upcoming Clarisys Audio Minuet planar ribbon speaker system Review. 1. What is the story behind Clarisys Audio? How did the company begin? It appears it is an attempt to resurrect and improve upon Apogee Audio. Please clarify. The company […]

Also read: Q&A – Bricasti Design M21 DAC. Since reviewing the Audio Note UK Fifth Force/Fifth Element DAC system and the Esoteric K-01XD SACD player/USB DAC in Summer 2020, I have auditioned half a dozen more DACs ranging from sub-$1,000 to over $20,000. Many of them relied on the ESS Technology Sabre Pro chipsets but […]

SYSTEM DETAILS (back to MAIN page) Lobby Pavilion Lobby Platinum Ballroom 12th Floor: Parlor Suite 1211 Room 1215 (Two days only for this Exhibit: Fri, 9/22 and Sat, 9/23) Room 1222, 1223   Updated: 9/20/23

EQUIPMENT LIST (back to MAIN page) A Aaudio Imports. Lobby Pavilion Audio Note UK. Room 1222, 1223 Audio Realignment Technologies. Lobby Pavilion Audio Reference Technology. Lobby Silver Ballroom. B Bricasti Design. Lobby Silver Ballroom G Gestalt Audio Design. Room 1211 H HB Design. Lobby Pavilion P Pink Faun. Lobby Pavilion Pranawire cable system. Room 1211 […]

Lotus Group system details Room: 12th Floor Parlor Room 1211 System details: Electronics from SW1X of England SW1X cable system SW1X DAC IV Special SW1X Level III Balanced Phono Stage SW1X Titan DHT SET integrated amplifier SW1X VDT IV Special Digital Source Wolf von Langa London field-coil loudspeakers, $59,995/pair – full-range field-coil two-way dipole main […]

Bricasti Design CEO Brian Zolner opens up on the company’s flagship product, the M21 dual-mono DSD DAC. As I am about to publish my findings on the Bricasti Design M21 DSD DAC, the complexity of the $21k DAC is such that Brian Zolner, CEO of the company, and I conducted many correspondences on the subject. […]

  Aaudio Imports system details Room: Lobby Pavilion Music system: Audio Realignment Technologies electromagnetic treatment (USA) 6Xs. $4,500 22X. $7,000 Pink Faun 2.16 Ultra Music Server Streamer HB Design (Germany) PowerSlave Marble MKII Power Distributor. $21,500 Stacore (Poland) CLD Footers. $1,080 set of 3 Stage III (USA) Ckahron (pronounced KAI-RON) XLR Interconnects. $16,500/pair Kraken AC […]

FinkTeam KIM  Ah yes, I remember it well. February 2018 found me in Bristol, England at its eponymous HiFi Show. The show, a warhorse of sorts, has been in existence for decades, and I daresay it will persevere for yet a few more. It was there, in the pub (bar for the Yanks) I met […]

The CAS is the only show in which attendees and reviewers can vote for companies to be recognized for their best efforts at the show. Vote count: 2 – per Member of the Press, 1 – per Attendee Vote allowance: 1 vote allowed per Type per person. Best Sounding Room Award. Most Innovative Product Award. Best Value Component Award. […]