The third annual Capital Audio Fest was held (as was last year’s) at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Rockville, MD, from July 13-15, 2012. All-in-all it was a very enjoyable show, though attendance appears to have been lower than we all would have liked (note that this is merely my impression, as I am not […]

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice – oh heck, I’m an audiophile you can fool me over and over again. What is it about our pursuit of good sound that makes us audiophiles so willing to always try something different. Heck, we don’t just pursue good sound but better sound than the […]

(Read Reviewer on the Run, Part I: The research stage) Auditioning gear in Hong Kong is somewhat of a challenge due to space restrictions. Numerous shops are filled to ceiling with equipment and most stores don’t present very good auditioning spaces. If you know specifically the brand and model you want this is not a […]

By: Dagogo Staff Previously: CAS3 Preview, Part I Lobby Peninsula Ballroom IV Audio High KEF Blade loudspeakers ($30k/pair) Meridian Sooloos Control 15 music server ($7.5k) Clearaudio Master Innovation Wood turntable ($27.5k) Clearaudio Universal 9″ tonearm ($5.5k) Clearaudio Everest Turntable Stand ($8k) Aesthetix Io Eclipse phono stage ($18,500) Chord Electronics Red Reference Mk III CD player/DAC […]

Paul McCartney “Kisses on the Bottom” MPL/Hear Music 2 180g LPs Produced by: Tommy LiPuma Engineered by: Al Shmitt, others Mixed by: Al Shmitt Mastered by: Doug Sax and Sangwook “Sunny” Nam at The Mastering Lab, Ojai, CA Musicians: Paul McCartney, vocals Diana Krall & band Special Guests: Eric Clapton guitar Stevie Wonder harmonica Anthony […]

Introduction to Radio Shack Megacable Speaker Wire review: It is immediately obvious that this is an old review. I wrote it a few years ago out of curiosity but ended up not submitting it, likely due to being distracted by other review obligations. Like urban myths which circulate eternally on the Net, I occasionally see […]

Trends Audio is based in Hong Kong and has been making affordable, small, and very nice-sounding gear since 2006. Now living in Hong Kong, I appreciate the need for smaller systems and Trends Audio is meeting this demand as well as attracting new audiophiles without the cash to spend thousands on each component. David Ho, […]

It’s been a long time since I received a poor component for review. In fact, it’s even been a longer time since I’ve received an average component for review. For example, here are some of the items I’ve reviewed in the past three years: a complete Linn Akurate Aktiv system, including the Akurate DS; the […]

Over the past couple of years, I’ve been involved in many discussions with our local audiophile community here in Florida, both users and dealers, about how different the audio hobby is for people just trying to get started. There seems to be little interest from retailers and private audiophiles alike to promote the hobby, mentor, […]

By: Dagogo Staff We are excited to bring you the 3rd Annual California Audio Show, scheduled to take place on Friday, August 3 through Sunday, August 5, 2012. Admission begins at 11am and closes at 6pm on Friday and Saturday. The Show closes at 4pm on Sunday. The following is information on systems to be […]

Building a stereo from scratch! I have often read forum posts asking various questions about what to buy. “Which CD player should I get for my B&W speakers?” Regular forum readers see such questions regularly and the replies list a myriad of products that may or may not be useful. I personally always liked the […]

Laurence Borden: Greg, welcome to Dagogo. I know that you have a background in music. Please share with us when and how that developed. Greg Roberts: My earliest recollection of music came when I was just five or six years old. We lived just a few hundred yards from the New England Music Camp on […]

The first separates I owned were the Quad 33 preamp and 303 power amp. I purchased these to drive my original Quad ESLs. A little over a year later, I had a chance to hear the Quad II amps and their QC preamp in my system. These old tube products blew my mind and I […]

Laurence A. Borden: Earl, welcome to Dagogo. Please tell us about your educational background, and how you first became interested in audio. Earl Geddes: I first got started in audio when I was in High School as a singer in a Rock n’ Roll band, but soon found my interests were more aligned with the […]

Electrocompaniet is a company that has a special place in my personal HiFi history. This Norwegian brand of electronics has been around for about 40 years. As many of you know for many years, I listened to what we now call the QUAD 57 Electrostatic Speakers. I tried amps from QUAD, Marantz, McIntosh, Dynaco, Bedeni, […]

  Few manufacturers in audio have as rich a history as Tannoy. Though founded by Guy Fountain in 1926 to exploit a solid state rectifier he invented, for sake of audio discussion, Tannoy really entered the scene in sound reproduction in the 1940’s, with the invention and introduction of the Dual Concentric loudspeaker driver, a […]

In 2009, Neko Audio brought out their first product, the D100 Stereo DAC. To get the DAC out at a reasonable price point they offered it direct to the customer, avoiding the traditional dealer network and markup. It comes with a 30-day money back guarantee. Because it’s not all that heavy, shipping is also inexpensive. […]

by: Jason Kennedy AMG Viella 12 This substantial turntable comes from a man who produces OEM parts for other German companies, a man called Werner Roeschlau who clearly knows his engineering onions. The Viella 12 is a superbly finished high mass design that incorporates a number of refinements to the norm. The main bearing for […]

by: Jason Kennedy Publisher’s note: Jason Kennedy is a renowned and respected reviewer and photographer. Since 1988, his works have appeared on Hi-Fi Choice, Hi-Fi Plus and Hi-Fi Critic. Jason hails from the United Kingdom. Dr Feickert Acoustics Firebird Dr Feickert brought his latest and most substantial turntable to the High End. The Firebird is a […]

This is the third in a series I’ve been calling, “Boppin’ Down Memory Lane”. So far, I’ve talked about selected amps and floor standing speakers that I have had in the house over the last five years as a reviewer. This month let’s talk about smaller speakers; you know “mini-monitors”, “stand mounted”, or the really […]

The glory days, or golden age, of the high end are gone, and will never be seen again. The time frame is debatable. Some will point to the heyday of McIntosh, Marantz, Eico, Fisher, Dynaco, et.al.. Others, myself included, will point to the ‘70s and the first wave of high end audio from Japan, like […]

The Dagogo Poll was created on September 12, 2010. New surveys are posted on Mondays. The following are the results. Latest results from concluded surveys will be added to this page. Week of: 42. 2012-5-21 Are you a professional of the audio industry? (306 votes) Yes, I make my living either full-time or part-time in […]

Opus 3 Records When I was in my early twenties I discovered Opus 3 Records. For the purpsoe of this article, I only pictured one album cover since they all look pretty much the same. To me, this Swedish record label made the best sounding records I had ever heard. I also loved the eclectic […]

I love bargains, but not at the expense of others. I’ve always had a sick feeling about bankruptcy auctions, estate sales, and foreclosures. I understand that creditors need to get their money, but all I see is Tom Joad’s broken down Model T. On the other hand, if the seller is willingly giving you a […]

What initially brought my attention to the Melody Valve electronics was the GR Research speakers being offered by Angel City Audio, who is the U.S. importer of Melody Valve. Later, I heard the combination of PM845 monoblock amplifiers, Pure Black 101 preamp and GR Research LS6 loudspeakers at Lone Star Audio Fest. I was very […]

I remember when I bought my first CD player in 1984, it was like winning a popularity contest. Armed with the Yamaha CD-X1 player which carried a price tag of $600, I was no longer just another teenage audiophile; I was an audiophile with a CD player. On that very day, the salesman reluctantly sold […]

After going to CanJam at the RMAF, $2,000 doesn’t sound like so much for a headphone amp. Heck, before I went to CanJam I had no idea how big a deal headphones are nowadays. For those who haven’t caught on cans, people seriously into their cans want more than an iPod to play them on. […]

I’d like to begin this review of the Melody AN211 integrated tube amplifier by stating my theory on “good/absolute sound.” I’ve come to the realization that my personal preference to “sound” shifts based on place, time, mood, and almost more importantly, the particular recording. I think a lot of audiophiles act similarly, whether they realize […]

One of the first things that really intrigued me as a budding audiophile was the notion that wire made a sonic difference in an audio system. I was just getting used to the idea that separate components, each individually made a difference, never mind the wire that lashed them all together. After some experimentation, it […]

Robert Lighton Audio displayed their RL10 speaker ($20,000), along with Audio Note UK electronics. The RL10 uses a 10” alnico magnet, hand-made paper cone woofer, and a 1” fabric dome with alnico magnet tweeter. The cabinet is magnificent solid wood – teak or mahogany. Robert’s other business is designing and manufacturing extremely high quality furniture. […]