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. […]

The New York Audio & AV Show 2012 NYC has not had a major audio show in approximately five years. As such, this year’s show, organized by The Chester Group International and TH.E. Show USA and held at the Waldorf Astoria Friday through Sunday, April 13-15, 2012, was met with a mixture of excitement and […]

Furutech / TAVES / Acoustic Technologies Down at the pavilion I met up with Simon Au who is the owner of Audiyo.com which distributes Furutech and Mundorf capacitors amongst other brands. Simon Au, together with Sauve Kajko of Canada Hi Fi Magazine, are the two main individual responsible for organizing the upcoming Toronto Audio and […]

Coup de Foudre / Wilson / VTL In French, Coup de Foudre literally mean a “bolt of lightning”. Figuratively, it also means “love at first sight”, which I think makes more sense for Montreal dealer Coup de Foudre. Whatever real meaning the name represents, you can be sure it is not “Cook the Food” which […]

Gershman / Mastersound / April Music At the 2011 TAVES, the Toronto Home of Audiophiles had a pair of Gershman Black Swans on display, and it was one of the nicest sounding room of the show. Once again, the Black Swans did not disappoint. Paired with the April Music Stello CDA500 CD player ($3,799), and […]

5/24/2002: We have made a price correction on the product, which is mentioned toward the end of the article. Our apology to readers if this caused any confusion. -Pub. Once again the focus of my reviewer’s attention is the affordable and unflappable Eastern Electric Minimax DAC! – this time the DAC Plus version and in […]

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. […]

Last month, I started this short series “Boppin’ Down Memory Lane” by talking about the most memorable amps I have had in the house over the last five years as a reviewer. This month, I want to talk about floor standing speakers. It has been my pleasure to review speakers from Audio Note, Audio Space, […]

Soundscape – the name is evocative of the experience which is being created, the merging of millions of musical minutiae into one image, the audio “picture” created for the listener. I like listening to musical landscapes, and I like the music the Salk Soundscape 10 makes. Jim Salk’s (No relation to Jonas Salk; too bad, […]

Dear reader: this is not only an audio review – it’s also a story about how creative companies can drive progress and improvement in tough economic times. In the January 2009 edition of Dagogo I reviewed the Lindemann 820S, which was then Lindemann’s flagship disc player. Priced at $21,700, the 820S played SACD’s and incorporated […]

Prologue For the record, I believe that an average of only 60% of our audio system’s potential is being tapped consistently with the way we use them, and most of the deterrents to full utilization of our system’s potential are present in the form of suboptimal power, suboptimal listening environments, inadequate vibration control and most […]

Sweet Sweet Kandy I have long maintained that it makes a lot of sense to consider the system as a whole rather than gambling on individual components. What do I mean by gambling on individual components? Well if we assume that all components in a stereo system have a sonic signature or “voice” then it […]

The Klipsch Image X10i headphones are the best looking, most comfortable wearing, and best-sounding ear buds I have ever used, including some that were molded to my ears. As I learned at this year’s CanJam, there are many more high-end phones than I ever dreamed. So, I in no way claim to have heard anywhere […]

The “Salon Son & Image 2012” Montreal Hi-Fi Show represents the third audio show I have covered for Dagogo within the last six month. The previous two shows were TAVES 2011 (Toronto Audio Video Entertainment Show) and the CES 2012. Some of my friends have asked me whether I get tired from all the travelling, […]

YG Acoustics practically defied logic with their room. This was a very, very popular room. After attempts to enter the room on Friday and Saturday, I was finally able to find a lull on Sunday. The large and impressive $119,000 Anat III Signature speakers were wedged into a rather small, oddly shaped hotel room and […]

Brett Bargenquast of Audioengine was showing their new line-up of unique lifestyle products that were both easy on the eyes and ears. The Audio Engine 5+ self-powered speakers ($399/pr.) defied their size with their big sound. A notable addition to their line-up is the all new D2 wireless 24-bit/96khz DAC ($599) and D1 24-bit wire […]

AXPONA 2012 was held Friday March 9th through Sunday March 11th. Now in its third year, the AXPONA show organizers Steve and Carmen Davis have brought it back to downtown Jacksonville, Florida where the show debuted in 2010. This year’s venue at the downtown Omni Hotel has proven to be the best yet both in […]

It never ceases to amaze me how people with like interests can be drawn together even when they live thousands of miles apart. About two years ago, I was contacted by a reader of Dagogo seeking advice on his sound system (let’s call him Encinitas Jim). We later met at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest and […]

Laurence A. Borden: Frank, welcome to Dagogo. Please begin by telling us about your background in electronics, and how you first became interested in audio. Fran Van Alstine: I first became interested in high quality audio in 7th grade. Our English teacher brought in his own component audio system (turntable, little vacuum tube power amp, […]

It just dawned on me that I have been writing the Beatnik Column and reviews for Dagogo for a little over five years and I have enjoyed every minute of it. So, I thought I might write a few articles about the last five years. Let’s start with the four amplifiers that left the most […]

Laurence A. Borden: Jeff, welcome to Dagogo. Please tell us a bit about your background as both a musician and a recording engineer. Jeff Hedback: First, thank you Laurence and Dagogo for this opportunity. I’ve always been fascinated by music – especially rhythm, tone/timbre and the energy/emotion of music. I began playing electric bass guitar […]

BILL EVANS RIVERSIDE RECORDINGS Analogue Productions 180g 45rpm 22LP BOX SETBox set containing 11 albums on 22 45-rpm LPs • 180g Vinyl • Facsimiles of each original jacket • 18-page booklet detailing Evans’ career and his Riverside eraAlbums Included: Everybody Digs Bill Evans, Explorations, Portrait In Jazz, At Shelly’s Manne-Hole, Hollywood, How My Heart Sings!, […]

This is my first report on vinyls that are in print, or VIP for short. It might not be something just released, or an audiophile issue, but it will usually fit three criteria: • The music must be engaging at least to my ears; • The sound must be at least good (the original recording […]

Lindemann Audiotechnik was founded in 1992 by Norbert Lindemann. From the start the company’s goal has been to reproduce lifelike music in the traditions of the high fidelity pioneers of the 50s and 60s. They set out to use the latest technologies to produce music reproduction that conveys the emotion and immediacy of a live […]

Introduction This past summer at the 2nd (2011) California Audio Show by Dagogo in San Francisco, I had the great fortune of providing the coverage of the Zesto Audio/Fritz/Wywires Room. Mr. George Counnas, designer of the Zesto Audio Andros PS1 phono stage, was spinning some vinyl, and his gracious wife and business manager, Carolyn Counnas […]

Slide rules and pocket protectors In the subjective audio universe, where gross amounts of 2nd harmonic distortion, horrendous phase shift, and totally inadequate frequency response gets euphemistically labeled “bloom” and “harmonic richness,” the purveyors of audio accuracy must hide their devotion to truthfulness like it’s a cardinal sin. “Zero phase shift?! Grab the matches and […]

If in life one is fortunate, true passion will find its way in. Whether it is music, art, cooking, love or any number of activities we participate in, these passions are the reward for the day-in/day-out drudgery and routine we all must persevere. I am an artist by trade, painting and drawing in particular. I […]