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High-Performance
Audio Gear Reviews,
Music News, Show Reports, Articles & More!
30 Years Of Service To Music
Lovers.
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High Style In High-End Audio
You don't need to be an Audiophile OG to chill with a sense of style.
Editorial By Steven R. Rochlin
Have
been taking photos of audiophile gear for many decades, and am always impressed
by the creative flow of many designs. Below are a very small sampling of the incredibly
talented engineering and design by a variety of high-end audio manufacturers.
Please note that photo descriptions are also vintage, so some products may not
be available and / or pricing has changed. Enjoy! Oh by Tutondo had perhaps the most stylish purpose-built listening chair as a pair of their dual cone round loudspeakers are placed right and left of the listener at precise placement as acoustic foam wraps around the remaining section behind the listener. Perhaps it is another offshoot of headphone listening? A small subwoofer on the floor assists in producing the lowermost frequencies. Alas, it is not for sale but the total price is about
€1000 for the chair and €1300 according to the loudspeaker representative. So here is a hint to anyone reading this. You have a photo and basic design idea, now get to building it and you're welcome.
--->
High Style In High-End Audio.
Sonus faber Olympica @ World Of McIntosh NYC
A good high-end system is akin to a time machine.
Review By Tom Lyle
Last
year I took a
tour of World Of McIntosh, a very impressive five-story luxury
townhouse in the Soho neighborhood of downtown New York City. World Of
McIntosh is an amazing place, packed with working audio systems featuring
gear from McIntosh, Sonus faber, Pro-Ject Audio Systems, Audio Research, and
more. This luxurious space is used as an event space, for invitation only audio
tours, and for anything else one who wants to use a space "where music and
design are merged in a way that's striking, memorable, and undeniably enjoyable".
While I was there last year I didn't take a dip in their heated indoor swimming
pool, which is one of only 11 privately owned pools located in NYC, or watch any
films on their 160" projection screen, but I did hear some great music on a
number of audio systems, and even had time for a latte in their custom-built
fully functioning kitchen. Last month I was again invited to World
Of McIntosh townhouse, this month to hear the newest Sonus faber product
line, their Olympica
Nova, which, according to Sonus faber updates their older models with
new crossovers and drivers, new cabinet structures, and internal volume tuning.
--->
Sonus faber Olympica @ World Of McIntosh NYC.
October's Exciting
Luxury Audio Review Magazine
Exclusive first-look gear reviews — a must-read
issue.
The October issue of Enjoy the Music.com's
Review Magazine delivers a rich mix of in-depth gear reviews, editorial features, and sonic storytelling aimed at serious listeners and industry insiders. We have multiple World Premiere gear reviews this month, with detailed evaluations of Voxativ's Hagen2 Tower high-end loudspeakers, the outstanding Audience FrontRow Reserve PowerChords, the impressive Lindemann Woodnote SOLO Network Player /
DAC... with each review focused on real-world listening impressions, build quality, and how products perform within a luxurious audio system. The issue's editorial balances a discussion about technical measurements with evocative descriptions, helping you understand both the specifications and the emotional impact of standout
components. This edition also includes feature articles that explore trends shaping the high-end audio landscape, including a flashback about the problems with CD rot from industry
experts.
---> October's Exciting Luxury Audio
Review Magazine.
Toronto Audiofest 2025 High-Fidelity Audio Showcase
Toronto Audiofest 2025 will launch this weekend at The Westin Toronto Airport, drawing audiophiles, music lovers, industry insiders, and curious newcomers to one of North America’s premier high-end audio events.
Running from October 17th through 19th, the show features over 100 exhibitors across multiple floors, showcasing the latest in stereo systems, streaming technology, and immersive sound environments. Legacy stereo systems, modern immersive audio, and personal audio EARVANA, Canada’s first dedicated headphone festival where attendees can demo flagship models from leading brands in a quiet, curated listening
space. Visitors can experience both Hi-Res Audio stereo and multi-room audio setups, high-resolution true lossless music streaming, plus analog turntable and reel-to-reel rigs designed for both performance and aesthetic appeal. The Toronto Audiofest also includes panel discussions, product launches, and hands-on demos that cater to both seasoned audiophiles and curious first-timers.
---> Toronto Audiofest 2025
High-End Audio Show Report. 
The
Tokyo International Audio Show 2025 Hi-Fi Event
The 2025 edition of the prestigious Tokyo International Audio Show runs from October 17th through 19th at the Tokyo International Forum, marking the
event's 42nd edition and reaffirming its place as one of Asia's most patient, demo-focused gatherings for audiophiles, immersivephiles, and industry professionals. Organizers emphasized a relaxed listening environment, running advance-reservation entry and staggered demo schedules to preserve sound quality and give visitors time with each system. The
show's layout favors room demonstrations over crowded booths, letting attendees judge equipment in near-real listening conditions. Another benefit, unlike many others shows throughout the world, Japanese crowds tend to be quiet, especially within listening rooms as a show of
respect. Exhibitors and product launches will span the full audio spectrum, from high-end room systems and audiophile tube electronics to a dense selection of headphones and personal audio gear; the program lists more than 200 brands represented by roughly 33 Japanese and international
exhibitors.
---> The Tokyo International Audio Show 2025 Hi-Fi
Event. 
One Month Away: Capital Audiofest 2025 Show
Capital Audiofest (CAF) 2025 is set to take place from November 14th to 16th at the Hilton Rockville in Maryland, continuing its legacy as the East Coast's largest and most beloved high-end audio show.
• Multiple AV Rooms. That's right, immersivephiles can rejoice!
• Nightly After Hours Parties!
• Over 120 Rooms and 50 Booths!
• Free Fun Photo Booth - Photos directly to your email!
• The Washington Room is now a large Demo room! Guess who?
• Guest Speakers/Seminars have moved into the Atrium! Three full days.
• CAF added two large Demo rooms across the street at the EVEN Hotel!
• CAF has two nights of great live music! See the The Nighthawks and Ultrafaux
• Bring your entire family! Students are FREE!
• Purchase your tickets online beforehand and beat the lines.
---> One Month Away: Capital Audiofest 2025
Show. 
AuroMasters Streaming Music Service For Immersivephiles
Goer Dynamics B.V. today announced that its adaptive streaming codec AURO-CX is powering AuroMasters, a newly launched global music streaming platform dedicated to immersive audio, marking a major advance for high-resolution three-dimensional sound delivery. The service positions AURO-3D technology at the center of a commercial effort to bring studio-grade immersive music to mainstream listeners and to revive album-focused listening with a curated catalog of remastered and reimagined releases. AuroMasters bills itself as the
world's first Immersive Music Jukebox, offering both legacy albums and new talent mixed in Auro-3D and presented through an experience designed by Grammy Award-winning engineers. AuroMasters deploys AURO-CX in Adaptive Bitrate mode so the same high-resolution master recording is delivered with the best possible quality for each
listener's network conditions, rather than downscaling to a separate low-resolution file. That dynamic delivery preserves immersive detail and artistic intent....
---> AuroMasters Streaming Music Service For Immersivephiles.
Musical Artist Dominique Fils-Aimé At HIGH END 2026
The HIGH END SOCIETY has named Dominique Fils-Aimé as the official brand ambassador for HIGH END 2026, which takes place June 4th through 7th (2026) at the Austria Center Vienna in the music-rich city of Vienna. Under the theme The Power of Music, the trade show positions the celebrated Montreal singer as a living example of
music's ability to connect people across genres and cultures. Fils-Aimé will attend the show in person and serve as guest of honor at the opening press conference, reinforcing the
event's cultural as well as technological focus. Dominique Fils-Aimé is celebrated for a voice that bridges blues, jazz, soul, and Afro-American music history with contemporary sonic explorations, and her work has won critical acclaim and multiple awards, including several Juno Awards and Polaris Prize nominations. HIGH END Managing Director Stefan Dreischärf highlights her fit for the role, saying the organization
"was able to enlist an extraordinary musician who stands for emotional depth, artistic diversity and audiophile
quality," and that she underscores the show's international credo of blending music, technology and culture.
---> Musical Artist Dominique Fils-Aimé At HIGH END 2026 In
Vienna. 
Make Your Listening Room A Listening Room
Roger Skoff writes about how to enjoy your music more without spending a lot more money.
Article
By Roger Skoff
Many
years ago, a wealthy friend asked me for advice on spending the $100,000 he
had budgeted for a new stereo system. After going through all of the usual
questions with him, like "What kind of music do you like?"; "How loud do you
like to play it?"; "How big is your listening room?"; "When you're listening to
music, what do you listen for?"; and so on, I told him something like: "If I had a hundred thousand to spend on a
system, I'd spend thirty thousand on all of the component, including the record
player (turntable, arm, and cartridge), the CD player, the speakers – remember
that this was a lot of years ago, and that a really great speaker system at the
time, the Avalon Ascent, for example, was only about $15,000 – plus all of
the electronics, and all of the cables. Then I would spend twenty thousand on
creating and furnishing an acoustically as-near-perfect-as-possible listening
room. And, finally, I would keep the remaining fifty grand for use toward my
(then of the appropriate age) daughter's college education."
---> Read Make Your Listening Room A Listening Room.
Bayz Audio Courante 2.0 Loudspeaker
Review
A new and innovative design in speaker technology.
Review By
Dr. Matthew Clott
You
might have to stand on your head for this review because Zoltán Bay turned the
concept of speaker production upside down and inside out when he created the Bay
Radial Speaker (BRS) Tweeter. And when you see the absolutely unique and
creative Bayz Audio Courante 2.0 speaker design ($60,000), you're not going to
be able to figure out how to stand, so just have a seat and enjoy the read.
Maybe have the computer or tablet read it to you while you listen to your
favorite composition in the background.... Be sure to grab your favorite
beverage and have that cute dog (or cat) of yours sit in your lap and snuggle
in; this is gonna be good! Decades of research, and over 35 years in the
industry, led Mr. Bay to a unique radial sound projection system. In essence, it
is a cylindrical membrane surface capable of changing its diameter. As with a
more standard speaker cone, the pulsations of the cylinder create sound in the
direction of radiation but in a perfect 360 degree omni-directional wavefront.
--->
Bayz Audio Courante 2.0 Loudspeaker Review.
Pass Labs XP-17 Phono Preamp &
Pass Labs X250.8 Power Amplifier Review
Impressive sound quality that we've come to expect from Pass Labs.
Review By Tom Lyle
For quite some time I've been using a Pass Laboratories power amplifier, phono stage, and headphone amplifier as references in my listening room. There were times I thought that some might think I was a spokesperson for this brand of equipment! I could see how some might get that idea, because not only do I use three Pass Labs components in my system, I also will tell anyone who will listen that I consider Pass Laboratories' high-end audio components the best in their respective price classes. Then again, those who have read my reviews of other brands of audio equipment will be able to tell that I approach each review with an open mind. I attempt to be as objective as possible, and other than the fact that I happen to have three Pass Labs components as references, I've never shown a hint of favoritism towards any component or brand of component in any of my reviews. It is quite obvious that I consider music more important than whatever audio equipment that might be in my system at the time.
--->
Pass Labs XP-17 Phono Preamp & X250.8 Power Amplifier Review.
World Premiere Review!
Big Sound, Small Size: Voxativ Hagen2 Tower Loudspeaker Review
Performing the most musical magical trick!
Review By Paul Schumann
Growing
up, I had a neighborhood friend who did magic. He was always working on new
illusions to incorporate into his act. Sometimes he had to build an apparatus,
and others were sleight of hand. To start, he would practice the new illusion
for endless hours in front of the mirror. Once the kinks were worked out, he
would try it out in front of some of his neighborhood friends. When he did this,
he added an extra layer of challenge for himself. He would show us how the trick
worked before he performed it. That way, we knew what to look for. He knew he
had mastered the illusion if he could still fool us. He was a master of his
craft, and he still does magic shows for fun. Our audio systems, as ardent readers of Enjoy the Music.com
know, can perform magic tricks. They take music that has been recorded in some
medium, convert it to electrical signals, and turn those signals into vibrations
that we perceive as music.
--->
Big Sound, Small Size: Voxativ Hagen2 Tower Loudspeaker Review.
The Ultimate Music Majesty: Lindemann Woodnote SOLO Network Player / DAC Review
A glorious reach out and touch sound that invites you to listen more.
Review By Tom Lyle
Lindemann Audio is a German high-end audio company that has
been in operation for over thirty years, just as the 30th anniversary of Enjoy
the Music.com is being celebrated in 2025! In that time, Lindemann became
known for being an innovative company that designed and manufactured
excellent-sounding and well-built digital and other audio products at a
reasonable price. Lindemann produces three series of products, three of which
are digital components, and the other are loudspeakers. Lindemann's Woodnote
series offers two compact-sized components, both of which are minimalist in
design: the SOLO and the COMBO. The SOLO is a streamer / DAC, the COMBO is also
a steamer / DAC, but also contains an internal amplifier in its similarly sized
cabinet. I chose to review Lindemann's Woodnote SOLO rather than their
COMBO because the SOLO will appeal more to audiophiles looking to integrate an
extremely well-built and cleverly designed streamer / DAC into their system.
--->
The Ultimate Music Majesty: Lindemann Woodnote SOLO Network Player / DAC
Review.
More reviews & articles within our Review Magazine.
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