This portion of Dagogo’s 2008 RMAF Coverage by Constantine Soo AudioSpace/GINI (text only) Alfred Lew of GINI and AudioSpace fame was always the welcoming face at every show, and his Exhibit this year yielded noteworthy dividends. The demonstration system was consisted of the AudioSpace CDP-320 ($880), DAC-1US ($2,990), Reference 3.1 300B ($3,990) integrated tube amplifier […]

This portion of Dagogo’s 2008 RMAF Coverage by Constantine Soo Red Rock Audio A little more than a year after the company’s introduction of an updated Renaissance Svetlana SV-572 directly-heated triode push-pull monoblock amplifier, Red Rock Audio unveiled its prototype preamplifier and loudspeaker at the show. I reviewed the Renaissance monoblocks recently, and found it […]

This portion of Dagogo’s 2008 RMAF Coverage by Gary Lea As a way of intro to this article, I want to point out that I came to the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest a seasoned writer with The $ensible Sound and left a member of Dagogo.com. Meeting Constantine at the show moved me to make a […]

This portion of Dagogo’s 2008 RMAF Coverage by Jack Roberts (Updated Nov 3, 2008) Jack Roberts’ Top Ten Rooms ▼ROOM ONE: Aaudio Imports Acapella Triolon Excalibur, $192,000/pair, plus Einstein electronics, Isoclean power conditioning The Triolon Excaliburs powered by Einstein gear had all the dynamics, aliveness, bass impact, transparency, and soundstage you could ever want. The […]

I suppose it’s beating a dead horse, but it’s both exciting and scary what the Chinese manufacturers are able to produce. I say exciting because it’s more affordable now than ever to get high-end sound on a budget. I say scary because it means that the establishment will keep losing market share. You’d like to […]

Power conditioners in the $2,000 price neighborhood abound, and I have been sent numerous designs within that price range for auditioning that produced results ranging from inconsistent to dismal. If the advice of Doug Schroeder, one of Dagogo’s Senior Reviewers, is to be followed, then anything that produces less than readily discernible results are to […]

I love integrated amps as a concept. I have owned quite a few, including a couple from McIntosh, a couple of Creeks, and maybe the best kept secret in Audio: the Joule-Electra VAMP. The VAMP was such a well kept secret that in the end it was discontinued; what a pity. I have always thought […]

Bowers & Wilkins 800D Loudspeaker Review Let’s make one thing clear at the outset: this is not your typical “review”. The Bowers & Wilkins 800Ds are not speakers I got for a month-long evaluation. They are my own speakers, around which I have built a system. I have been building and tweaking my current system […]

This Dagogo 2008 RMAF Show Commentary by Gary Lea DirectGrace Records When Is The Audio Community More Than An Audio Community? If you have children, have thought about having children, have friends that have children or simply know some children (now that should cover everyone out there) please read this and bear with me as […]

This portion of Dagogo’s 2008 RMAF Coverage by Jack Roberts Loudspeakers, Part 3 of 3 ▼Von Schweikert Unifield 3 loudspeakers with Audio Space electronics ▼Emerald Physics loudspeakers and Wyred 4 Sound electronics ▼Analysis loudspeakers ▼Waterfall speakers ▼Reference 3A Grand Veena ▼Emerald Physics CS-1 ▼Emerald Physics CS-1 Soundsmith Dragonfly speakers▼ ▼Oswald Mill AC1s ▼Avantgarde loudspeakers ▼Harbeth […]

This portion of Dagogo’s 2008 RMAF Coverage by Jack Roberts Loudspeakers, Part 2 of 3 ▼MBL ▼Red Rock Audio ▼Red Rock Audio (closeup) ViV Laboratory Evanui Signature▼ ▼ViV Laboratory Evanui Signature ▼Studio Electrics loudspeaker with ModWright electronics ▼Reference 3A Episode ▼RAAL-Requisite “Eternity” omni-directional speaker (RAAL/Serbia, ribbon manufacturing + Requisite Audio/U.S., electronics)▼ ▼Podium Sound loudspeakers ▼open […]

This portion of Dagogo’s 2008 RMAF Coverage by Jack Roberts Loudspeakers, Part 1 of 3 ▼Avalon Acoustic Indra Audio Note AN-E SEC Signature▼ ▼Audio Note AN-E Kit Acoustic Zen speakers▼ ▼bd speakers ▼Classic Audio Reproductions ▼Classic Audio Reproduction “Hartsfield Reference” Von Schweikert VR-9 SE▼ ▼Daedalus Audio Ulysses ▼Dynaudio 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Sapphire with Wadia […]

This portion of Dagogo’s 2008 RMAF Coverage by Constantine Soo A.R.T./AcousticPlan/Da Vinci/Audio Tekne In the confine of a modestly sized room, U.S. importer Tangram Audio’s Exhibit marked the convergence of technologies from Scotland (A.R.T. loudspeaker), Germany (AcousticPlan electronics/loudspeaker) and Switzerland (Da Vinci electronics/loudspeaker). A new, more avant-garde looking loudspeaker from A.R.T., the Deco 10 Signature […]

This portion of Dagogo’s 2008 RMAF Coverage by Fred Crowder As I approach 60 years of age, lose a little more hair and put on a few more pounds, I have begun to realize that in some ways the world is passing me by more rapidly each year. Part of this is a result of […]

(continued from Coverage V) This portion of Dagogo’s 2008 RMAF Coverage by Doug Schroeder (Part 2 of 2) Audio Unlimited/Focal/Boulder Amplifiers/Running Springs Audio/Tara Labs I am sickened by the fact that I had a lousy pic of this room which is unusable. I’m a better listener than photographer. A very majestic experience; this rig was […]

This portion of Dagogo’s 2008 RMAF Coverage by Doug Schroeder (Part 1 of 2) RMAF was enjoyable, quite a relaxed atmosphere, and perfectly timed as the weather was fairly dismal, making the thought of not being in the mountains bearable. Aside from the odd quirk, like a speaker manufacturer removing my Yoshida Brothers demo disc […]

This portion of Dagogo’s 2008 RMAF Coverage by Constantine Soo Ayon/Escalante/MaxxHorn ▼Ayon electronics and Escalante speakers Ayon Audio and Escalante Designs are the hosts of this large Hyatt Grand Mesa C Exhibit. Escalante is now the enclosure builder for MaxxHorn speakers, and this Exhibit showcased the beautiful cabinetries of MaxxHorn speakers in two separate systems, […]

This portion of Dagogo’s 2008 RMAF Coverage by Jack Roberts Turntables Part 2 of 2 Teres Audio Model 260 Turntable Teres Audio’s prototype arm Galibier Design A couple more Artemis Labs SA-1 Turntables Gerard Scheu Diamond Turntable Schroeder Model 2 tonearm The Scheu Diamond Turntable with the Red Wine Audio Phono Preamp One of several […]

This portion of Dagogo’s 2008 RMAF Coverage by Jack Roberts Turntables Part 1 of 2 Continuum Criterion turntable with Copperhead A pair of Triplanars Allen Perkins’ Spiral Groove SG1 Turntable Clearaudio Reference Audio Note Turntable Montegiro Lengo Da Vinci Nobile The Montegiro Lusso Komplet Turntable Montegiro Lusso Komplet Turntable Clearaudio Wood Anniversary CMB Turntable with […]

This portion of Dagogo’s 2008 RMAF Coverage by Constantine Soo Audio Note UK To date, after listening to other system at the show, the Audio Note UK system, with such extraordinary level of sonics in extreme-premium parts and silver implementation, continued to provide the most explicit experience in tonal sophistication. The only regret in this […]

Jack Roberts, Dagogo’s Senior Reviewer, has the opportunity recently to review Oracle of Canada’s $9,250 integrated solid-state amplifier, and I was able to audition it in my system for two weeks. During that time, I was reviewing the $30k Red Rock Audio Renaissance tube monoblocks. The Oracle, being a transistor design with class A for […]

Reviews appear on a regular basis of “new” isolation devices guaranteed to transform the sound of your system, and eliminate the gremlins associated with unwanted vibrations either from the environment or generated by the equipment itself. With the exception of Roy Gregory, the editor of the English print magazine HiFi + , no one has […]

When I was first approached to review the Rita 880, I was somewhat skeptical of the product. I have often heard products that look superb and that are very well built, but ultimately let me down somewhat in terms of the sound. It’s as if the money, time, and effort went in to the looks […]

(Effective August 1, 2009, Maxxhorn has changed its company name to AFFIRM AUDIO. -Ed.) In 1964, Scientists working at Bell Labs in Holmdel, New Jersey, made one of the monumental discoveries in science. Using a 20’ microwave horn antenna, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson were looking for radio signals from the Milky Way and regions […]

It’s a big hassle for me to audition speakers in my main listening room. My reference B&W Nautilus 800Ds are 275 pounds each and spiked, and I don’t have any help when I move them. Consequently, I told Dagogo’s editor, Constantine Soo, that I really didn’t want to review “midfi” speakers in that room – […]

My listening room is definitely looking a lot like a high-end audio store these days, especially with the present speaker lineup I have in there. In addition to my own B&W Nautilus 800Ds, the room sports Usher BE-20s, Daedalus Audio Ulysses and Coincident Speaker Technology Total Victory IVs. Talk about throwing a bunch of Alpha […]

Description One of the things I love about the Satisfy tonearms is that they have a simple eloquence about them. I am a firm believer in the KISS (keep it simple stupid) principle, especially in audio design. Even the anti-skating design is a lesson in simplicity. The Satisfy tonearms are simple nine-inch arms with exceptional […]

I received some Plinius products for review a few months ago. These are the first products I’ve reviewed from a “down under” manufacturer, by which I mean not only Australia and New Zealand, but also South America, Southern Africa and Malaysia. My apologies to you geographers who can list the 40-plus countries entirely in the […]

This is my third pair of Teresonic speakers to review and I’ll tell you right now these people know how to build beautiful and musical cabinets for Lowther drivers. The little Magus with their stands have been my personal favorites so far of the mini-monitors I have heard, and they looked so great, too. The […]

One of my goals in writing the “Beatnik’s Journey” is to share with you prospects of the reviewing process. So, I thought it might be fun this month to share with you four of the LP’s I always use in the reviewing of any given product. I’ll try to give you a quick synopsis of […]