I love finding unexpected pathways to performance, that is, methods that have potential to outperform expectations. Some are so unexpected that few audiophiles would try them because of the foregone conclusions, “It won’t work,” or “It won’t matter.” If it doesn’t involve something potentially harmful to the system, I’ll likely try it. Some of my […]

When I began my review of the DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96 I didn’t know it would turn out to be a trilogy. This third and last part really isn’t a review of the Orangutan per se but more of a wrap up to the first part about speakers. Back in September of 2009 I wrote […]

For those of you of a certain age, Mr. George Merrill does not require much introduction. For all intents and purposes, his modest set of (then) high tech upgrades to the venerable Acoustic Research (AR) turntable in the 1970’s ushered in the era of modern belt drive turntable design. George’s extensive knowledge in sound reproduction […]

Last night I went to Yoshi’s in Oakland with a friend to hear Cassandra Wilson. After some really good sushi and tempura we made our way over to the jazz hall and were treated to a night of unforgettable music. It was the kind of performance that when you leave you want to tell everyone […]

In my recent review of the Sanders Sound Model 10c speakers (interested readers may also want to read my interview with Roger Sanders ), I mentioned that the one perceived weakness was a mechanical quality to the sound that both I, and visitors to my listening room, attributed to the Behringer active cross-over that is included […]

I was first introduced to Melody Valve Hi FI products about four years ago. The US distributor, a very enthusiastic Hugh Nguyen at Angel City Audio, has always had excellent sounding rooms at the audio shows. Each time I expressed interest in reviewing the electronics, but the timing or circumstances of my schedule never allowed […]

Waxahatchee – Cerulean Salt Tracks: 1. “Hollow Bedroom” 2. “Dixie Cups and Jars” 3. “Lips and Limbs” 4 “Blue Pt. II” 5. “Brother Bryan” 6. “Coast to Coast” 7. “Tangled Envisioning” 8. “Misery Over Dispute” 9. “Lively” 10. “Waiting” 11. “Swan Dive” 12. “Peace and Quiet” 13. “You’re Damaged” If you’re not familiar with the […]

In February Fred Crowder reviewed these very special power cables in conjunction with the HB Cable Design Marble PowerSlave Power Distributor. I reviewed and bought the HB Marble back in October of 2013 and feel it is far and away the best device to plug my stereo into I have ever heard. I used it […]

Investigating a new source component is always a gas while at the same time raising a few basic questions. How will it alter the system? Will it rob Peter to pay Paul sonically, leaving one in a break-even situation? Will it belly flop or will it elevate the system to new levels of engagement? When […]

Ted Denney, the chief designer and owner of Synergistic Research, may be one of the more polarizing figures in high-end audio. Having sat through any number of his demos, both at audio shows around the country and in my own home during meetings of the Bay Area Audiophile Society (BAAS), I am certain that Ted […]

This review has turned into a trilogy about speakers, the fist about vintage speakers in general, this second part about the DeVore Fidelity Orangutans O/96s’ review, and then in the upcoming part 3 I will share the conclusion of my journey to see if I could find a speaker I like better than my Teresonic […]

I know I have told this story before but there are some things that just stick in your memory. One of those for me was the first time someone suggested that I should pay for power cords. I mean how could the power cord make any difference in the sound of an audio system? My […]

Legacy Audio A need to retrieve a USB stick with programming for the Legacy processor used with the Whisper, run via Mac Mini took me to Legacy Audio. The Whisper had a more refined and extended presentation than last shows. This was not surprising, given that the cable and cap upgrade which I collaborated on […]

If you have never had the privilege of doing business with the people at Audience let me begin by telling you that starting with John McDonald — the president of the company — you will never find nicer people to do business with. They produces a wide range of gear: loudspeakers, power conditioners, and a […]

In telling a friend about the sound of DeVore Fidelity’s Orangutan O/96s I mentioned that John DeVore had done an amazing job with the Orangutan speakers of making a modern speaker that had many of the virtues of vintage speakers. He asked what I meant by that and suggested that I write it down. So […]

As in nature, so also in audio; if the source is pristine, then there is a good chance everything downstream may be as well. One of the classic audiophile mistakes is to focus on the source, forgetting to focus on the source of the source, namely the power. There also seems to be a temptation […]

I recently reviewed the 225 pound each Linn Athenaum Speaker System, followed by Burwell & Sons’ take on the classic Altec A7s. After both of these were gone it was time to settle back down with my Teresonic Ingeniums with Lowther DX4 drivers with silver voice coils. The only problem was while they sounded good, […]

Lyn Stanley – Lost In Romance Numbered, Limited Edition of Only 500 • 45rpm 180 Gram Double Vinyl • Mixed by Al Schmitt • Mastered by Bernie Grundman • Pressed at Pallas in GermanySelections: 1. Change Partners 2. Watch What Happens 3. Fever 4. That Old Black Magic 5. The Nearness Of You 6. You […]

Oppo’s latest Blu-Ray player, the BPD-105 has been in my home for the last 12 months. It has mainly seen duty as a video player and to stream Netflix movies and TV content. It’s a truly Universal player so I’ve also used it occasionally to play my collection of DVD-Audio discs and high-rez downloads from […]

Strange how a casual encounter can on occasion develop into a lasting friendship. Encinitas Jim contacted my editor several years ago to request my contact information. At that time, he owned Wilson Alexandria X-2 Series 2 speakers, Levinson electronics and Transparent cables. The Alexandria’s, after a time of optimization with Nordost Odin wires and the […]

This review began with an introduction to Sony’s “Senior Acoustic Evangelist,” Motoyuki Sugiura, informally known as “Yuki”. The use of the term “evangelist,” on his business card is not typical parlance among audiophiles. Have you ever heard of an Acoustic Evangelist? The term, native to the New Testament, refers to the dissemination of the Good News, or […]

If you are a regular reader of Dagogo you know of my love for the sound of the Western Electric 300B vacuum tube. My Wavac EC300B is decked out with two NOS WE 300Bs, two NOS Sylvania 6L6GC driver tubes and a pair of NOS WE 435As. A few months ago it seemed it was […]

For those of us, like me, who have spent countless hours trying to figure out the best way to get the dirt out of the grooves of our favorite “ancient” LP’s with the amazing variety of fluids, enzymes, hyper-distilled water, brushes and vacuums out there, the Audio Desk RCM has not rendered your past labors […]

Mr. Tom Vu at Triangle Art has been keeping himself quite busy since introducing his first product a few years ago. I met Tom at the 2013 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest a few months back and was mighty impressed with the sound he was getting in his room, most of which were components of his […]

When presented with the opportunity to review the Esoteric K-05, I was hardly in a position to say no. My Behold front end had failed and I had to fill in the gap quickly. I had my reservations however. The K-05 CD/SACD player is the mid-level one-box solution from Esoteric. Like many audiophiles I strive […]

An audio gargantua (with homage to Rabelais) One of the venerable giants of home audio, the British company KEF recently celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2011 as a loudspeaker manufacturer. Founded by Raymond Cooke in 1961, the company was first housed at Kent Engineering and Foundry, or KEF for short. From the beginning Cooke had […]

It’s just a puff of smoke, a wisp, a few particles, so what can it do? Nothing, right? Wrong, it can take your house down and overturn your life – that’s what an atmospheric disturbance can do when it reaches the nth degree. It starts out innocently enough but writhes into a twister, a whirlwind […]

Legends Live Albert Mangelsdorff Quintett Audimax Freiburg June 22, 1964 Jazz Haus 101-727180 GRAM VINYL + FREE DIGITAL DOWNLOAD Recorded live at Freiburg on June 22,1964 Side a: • Now Jazz Ramwong • Set ‘em up Side b: • Raknahs • Burungkaka • Theme from Pather Panchali Albert Mangelsdorff (trombone), Heinz Sauer (tenor and Soprano […]

Laurence Borden:  Thom, welcome to Dagogo.  You were one of the original members of the team that set out to build a turntable based on the published plans of Thomas Scheu in Germany.  I know it’s a long and complicated story, with enough drama for a made-for-TV movie, but perhaps you give us the short […]

A Fantasy Come True Ohhh My God… Explosively Dynamic. Lightning Fast. Incredibly Articulate. Highly Extended. Insanely Detailed. Organically Coherent. Tonally Natural. Chameleon-like with all music. Take your pick. I guess you can probably tell I liked the Vivid Giya G1. A lot. Ok, let me take a pause from hyperventilating and give you some background. […]