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High-End Audiophile
Equipment Reviews
Gear Reviews, News, Show Reports, Articles And More!
Celebrating 25 Years Of Service To Music Lovers
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Densen Audio Technologies Has
Been Sold
Densen Audio Technologies, founded in 1993 in Esbjerg (Denmark), has been sold to Casper Reinhold and Ditlev
Leth. Company founder of the Densen brand, Thomas Sillesen, has been seeking a buyer of his high-fidelity audio company and has sold it to two new partners. The sale
includes all IP rights from Densen. Ditlev Leth has worked for Thomas Sillesen for a number of years, while Casper Reinhold is a perennial Densen fan and owner of the EMS company
Tridane, who have an extensive expertise within electronics development and manufacturing. "The ambitions for Densen are large, and the ideas for the future are many," says their press release, "but the old virtues of Densen are not forgotten in the past. Densens trademarks with incredibly well-build amplifiers, and the idea of a 100% Danish brand with everything developed and build in-house in Denmark, will not be changed – Densen will be kept a 'made-in-Denmark'
brand."
---> Densen Audio Technologies has been sold.
T.H.E. Show 2021 In Long Beach California Starts Today
Exhibitors at T.H.E. Show 2021 in California are ready to demonstrate the very best high-end audio gear during this weekend's event at the Hilton Long Beach from today through Sunday. This event is already almost at capacity for advance ticket sales, so please don't wait! An impressive seminar schedule is planned as well featuring Dr. Mark Waldrep, Jiles McCoy, Emiko, Merge Creative, David Solomon, Wayne Carter, Mr. Julian Margules, and Leonard Dodd. Food trucks will be on site daily to provide a variety of delicious dishes for everyone. Designed to connect music, entertainment, tech aficionados, trade professionals, and media from around the world in an integrated state-of-the-art exhibit, this event will showcase the latest products and innovations from industry-leading brands. Experience a variety of sounds ranging from $500 headphones to the $500,000 stereo setup.
---> T.H.E. Show 2021 in Long Beach California starts
today.
The HiFi Summit Q2 2021 By Joe N Tell
As the third live streaming show by Joe N Tell, they celebrate the audio community in having an excellent high-quality online show resource for 2021! The HiFi Summit, produced by Joe N Tell (Joe Mariano), brings modern features that are expected when showcasing the best in high-fidelity audio and home theater gear. Excellent seminars and group chat are joined by questions from viewers within Discussion and YouTube live stream. Unlike Facebook, Instagram, and other types of live streaming, Joe N Tell's The HiFi Summit videos are available worldwide on YouTube both for live viewing during their event and for on-demand viewing too! This is what high-end and home theater online streaming should be in
2021.
---> The HiFi Summit Q2 2021 By Joe N Tell.
Sonos pyFLAC Python Free Lossless Audio Compression
In the same spirit as the industry's widely accepted lossless FLAC file type, Sonos has released a completely free-to-use simple Pythonic interface for
libFLAC. FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is a free lossless, not lossy or proprietary like pay-for-play formats, file type that compresses digitzed audio without any loss in sound quality. pyFLAC allows you to encode and decode raw audio data directly to/from a file, or in real-time using callbacks. Supported platforms include
MacOS, Linux, RPi Zero/2/3/4, and of course Windows 7/8/10. pyFLAC comes bundled with a command line tool to quickly convert between WAV and FLAC files. Sonos has made their pyFLAC widely available for music lovers
to use and enjoy without cost to you or the recording industry.
---> Sonos pyFLAC Python free lossless audio
compression.
audioXpress & Voice Coil
Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook
Now available online for subscribers of audioXpress and
Voice Coil is their special Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook 2021. In the best tradition of the
Sourcebook, the 2021 edition contains company listings and so much more. In this edition, readers will find several must-read articles from some of the finest industry leaders, interviews with audio professionals on trending industry topics, and their annual industry reports about the state of the industry. Your annual subscription to
Voice Coil or audioXpress or your status as a Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook vendor includes a complimentary copy of the 2021
Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook.
---> audioXpress and Voice Coil Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook 2021.
 The Music Industry Just Took A Backwards Step
On Streaming Pricing... In Glorious HD
Editorial By Tim
Ingham
Founder Of Music Business Worldwide
Amazon's Echo Studio launched in Q4 2019 at a
$199.99 price point in the US. "In
2019, Amazon launched
Amazon Music HD, a high-quality audio streaming offering that is available to
customers at a premium price in the United States. We believe the value
proposition that streaming provides to consumers supports premium product
initiatives." This, from Warner
Music Group's pre-IPO
filing last year, is a key part of the modern music industry's big
sell to investors. Just you wait, it says: streaming is $9.99-a-month today, but
tomorrow, oh man, the possibilities for building on this price-point are
endless. Today (May 17), those possibilities hit the floor with a thud.
A thud captured in stunning HD sound. It was a noise that hurt my ears – and reiterated a
troubling power balance between music rightsholders and Big Tech.
--->
The Music Industry Just Took A Backwards Step On Streaming Pricing... In Glorious HD.
Enjoying The
Music
Do We All
Hear The Same Thing?
Roger Skoff writes about how we listen and what it means.
Article
By Roger Skoff
Many years ago, back in the late 1980s or early 1990s, a
magazine did a demographic study of its readership and found that well over 90% –
including subscribers, newsstand buyers, and pass-along readers –
were male.
Shortly after that came out, I and a bunch of other high-end audio reviewers (I
was reviewing for the publication Sounds Like at the time) happened to
get together at the Summer CES in Chicago (yes, they still had two Consumer
Electronic Shows a year, back then) and we got to talking about why that might
be – after all, everybody likes music, both men and women, so why would it be
almost exclusively guys that were interested in high fidelity sound? As it was, two guys in the group from different publications
were licensed PhD psychologists, so we had their professional opinions to
combine with the casual observations of the rest of us in concluding that, even
though experiencing the same music, men and women didn't necessarily hear the
same thing.
--->
Enjoying The Music: Do We All Hear The Same Thing?
CrystalConnect Monet Network Ethernet
Cable Review
With just a taste of their Diamond network cable as well.
Review By
Dr. Matthew Clott
Asking an
audio reviewer to review a network cable is sort of like asking a car reviewer
to review an alternator belt or a particular gasoline (although gasoline would
likely equate more correctly to power cords in this scenario). I might even
liken speaker cables or interconnects to tires if I continue the analogy; which
have a more direct connection to the signal path, or similarly connect the
engine, chassis, and suspension to the road. Under most circumstances, I humbly
and politely pass when asked to formally review cables. Not because I don't think they make a massive difference in
the system's performance (which they unquestionably do), but because in most
cases cables affect an overall sense of voicing and presentation that is
personal and subtle. And, because people seem to marry themselves to a
particular cable manufacturer who has won their devotion, and I don't feel that
reviews affect a change in the interest the way that reviews of components do.
Also, if I'm being honest, it's sorta painful reviewing cables. I have heard fantastic performances from many cable lines in
my listening room....
--->
CrystalConnect Monet Network Ethernet cable review.
Furutech NCF Clear Line AC Power Line
Optimizer Review
A skeptic gets his comeuppance.
Review By Paul Schumann
If you've
read any of my previous reviews, you know that I'm a bit of a skeptic when it
comes to audio. More than one time I've read about some amazing piece of gear,
rushed down to the high-end audio parlor (remember those?) to take a listen, and
came away disappointed. It's not that it always sounded bad (although, sometimes
it did), it just didn't wow me as I was expecting. Where I especially cast a
wary eye is an accessory item that promises to improve the overall sound of the
system. The Furutech NCF Clear Line is just such a product. So when Steven asked
if anyone wanted to review it, of course, I said yes. Okay, full disclosure here, I have been wanting to review a
power conditioning device for quite a while. One area I have been remiss in the
development of my system is the AC end of things. I've almost bought one a
couple of times, but always backed off. Then during the middle of summer, when
the AC quality goes dramatically down because of all the air conditioners I
start kicking myself. Yet I never seem to pull the trigger on getting one when I
have the chance.
--->
Furutech NCF Clear Line AC Power Line Optimizer review.
North America Premiere Review!
Lindemann Limetree Phono II Review
Small package – Big impression!
Review By Clive Meakins
Lindemann
is very well versed with digital technology and Class D amplifiers. For some
people, they've been "flying under the radar" with their Phono stage. The
Limetree Phono II is the successor to the well-regarded Limetree Phono. Being
very candid; my initial reaction to the suggestion to review the Phono II was, "another
relatively affordable Phono stage – I really hope it stands out from
the crowd". What I will say at this point is that I'm very pleased I accepted
the challenge! A Phono stage can make or break a vinyl-playing system – it
needs to match the deck and cartridge electrically plus be a good match in terms
of character. It's not hard to put together a couple of OpAmps with an RIAA
correction network in between and voila, you have a Phono stage... but that's not
to say it'll be a good one that makes systems shine. I've already hinted that
auditioning the Phono II was a good use of my time so rest assured that if you
are looking for a Phono stage at around €600, finding out more about the Phono
II will be very worthwhile. The Lindemann Limetree range covers the Bridge, Network,
Headphone, and Phono II....
---> Lindemann Limetree Phono II
review.
The Intro
Editorial By Art Dudley
Recently I received some new CD re-issues from JVC who have begun applying their very nice XRCD process to the RCA Victor catalog of classical recordings from the 1950s and
1960s. Among this batch was a personal favorite: Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony orchestra performing Beethoven's
Symphony No.7. I enjoy this one the most of all the Sevenths in my collection, and the fact that my copy is a mono LP isn't something I ever gave all that much thought to. In fact, until someone corrected me on the point, I half assumed that LM-1991 might be one of those recordings in the RCA catalog that never came out in stereo in the first place.
(I am not the sort of record collector who concerns himself with such details, although I am often thankful for the knowledge of those who
are.) I also remember thinking that a stereo version of this LP, with that big, gaudy LIVING STEREO banner across the top, must surely suffer by comparison in terms of its cover art, which is
Botticelli's La Primavera, reproduced on a sturdy fold-over sleeve the likes of which I haven't seen on any other record.
---> The Intro by Art Dudley of Listener magazine.
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