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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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Flagship
Audio Gear, World Premieres, & Show Coverage — July
High-End Audio Review Magazine
In-depth listening notes, not-to-be-missed
world premiere hi-fi reviews, plus HIGH END Vienna and Southwest Audio Fest 2026.
Great news for music lovers and audiophiles alike as our July
Review Magazine is out and it's loaded with hands-on looks at top-tier amplifier, two interesting loudspeaker designs, world premieres, and more! Think long listening sessions, gear that makes you smile, and plenty of great gear pics for your next system upgrade consideration. If you love discovering what really moves the music, this issue is a treat. What really makes this edition buzz is the
world premiere coverage — first listens and debut reviews of gear you may not have heard about anywhere else. Charney Audio Kit-1 300B tube amp, efficient Maestro XL speakers, the unique PERFECT8
Cube-S with Sub, and Merrill Audio's exciting reference-class Element 116MX
amplifier. There's also show coverage from HIGH END Vienna 2026, with special news as we're once again sponsoring the Southwest Audio
Fest luxury audio event! You'll be seeing our lanyards once again, bringing our joyous orange signature color to Dallas. For the kids and newcomers, there's the
Passport To Sound booklet. If you've not heard about this incredible resource, be sure not to miss this month's
editorial!
---> Flagship Audio Gear, World Premieres, & Show Coverage — July High-End Audio
Review Magazine.
Pacific Audio Fest 2027: Music-Focused Premium Audio Experience
Pacific Audio Fest (PAF) will return January 15th through 17th, staging a music-first premium audio weekend at the Hyatt Regency Lake Washington in
Seattle's Southport. The three-day event promises live performances, immersive listening sessions, and a broad marketplace of premium audio brands, designers, and dealers. Organizers say the move to a new waterfront venue and a renewed emphasis on music aim to reconnect listeners with the emotional power of great recordings. The festival is being shaped as a music-focused audio experience for listeners at every level, from curious beginners to seasoned audiophiles. Attendees can expect demonstrations spanning vinyl playback, loudspeakers, headphones, streaming systems, amplifiers, and complete listening rooms. Exhibits will showcase both budget-friendly starter setups and high-end systems, giving visitors hands-on opportunities to hear how different gear changes the way songs and records come to life. PAF organizers highlight the convenience of moving from listening rooms to evening entertainment and social spaces without leaving the property, making the festival both immersive and easy to
navigate.
---> Pacific Audio Fest 2027: Music-Focused Premium Audio Experience. 
Hi-Fi+ July 2026 High-End
Audio Magazine
Editorial: High-End Vienna 2026 Is A Successful New Era For
Europe
Magico M9 Floorstanding Loudspeaker
Thales Reference And Magnifier Turntable And Phono / Line Preamplifier
ATC EL50 Anniversary Floorstanding Loudspeaker
Vinnie Rossi Brama Integrated Amplifier
SPL Phonos Duo Phono Stage
Ultrafide Audio DIAS-U8 Power Amplifier
Network Acoustics Muon2 Network Switch
Kii Audio SEVEN Active Stand-Mount Loudspeakers
in-akustik NF-2405 AIR XLR Interconnect Cables
...And Much More!
---> hi-fi+
July 2026 High-End Audio Magazine.
Capital Audiofest 2026 Returns As The Northeast
Coast's Premier Luxury Hi-Fi Experience
Capital Audiofest 2026 is set to take over the Hilton Rockville in Rockville, Maryland from November 13th through 15th, reaffirming its status as the Northeast
Coast's most anticipated luxury home audio showcase. Now in its 16th year, the high-fidelity home audio festival continues its evolution from a regional gathering into a nationally recognized celebration of
high-end audiophile sound, immersive listening, and community-driven audio culture. With expanded exhibitor participation and a growing audience of seasoned audiophiles, newcomers, and families, the 2026 edition promises to be the most ambitious yet. The
show's hallmark remains its room-to-room exploration format, where attendees can audition
cutting-edge loudspeakers, amplifiers, DACs, turntables, and streaming systems across a wide range of price points. Exhibitors representing boutique artisans, global luxury brands, and innovative newcomers will transform the
Hilton's floors into a multi-level sonic playground. Visitors can expect meticulously tuned listening rooms,
world premiere product unveilings, and hands-on demonstrations designed to help listeners translate specifications into
real-world musical engagement.
---> Capital Audiofest 2026 Returns As The Northeast Coast's Premier Luxury Hi-Fi Experience.
Enjoy the Music.com Sponsors
SWAF 2026 Show Lanyards & Passport To Sound Booklet
High-end audio's leading online hi-fi publication once again shows its strong support for the industry and assists music lovers, too.
Southwest Audio Fest
2026 returns to the Sheraton Dallas Hotel from July 23rd through 25th, and this
year's show arrives with an exciting partnership: Enjoy the Music.com, one of
the industry's most respected online publications for over 30 years, is the
official lanyard sponsor for the three-day luxury high-end audio
celebration. Their support ensures every exhibitor and member of the press
receives a premium lanyard the moment they check in. For youthful and aspiring
music lovers, Enjoy the Music.com is once again providing the
critically-acclaimed educational booklet Passport To Sound. Written by
scientist and higher education instructor May Anwar, Passport To Sound is the
industry's foremost publication to help both inquisitive adults and youthful
enthusiasts about the fundamentals of the high-fidelity world. Southwest Audio Fest (SWAF) 2026 is expected to host many exhibit
rooms, featuring flagship sound systems, class-leading turntable showcases,
top-level headphones, and product debuts from global manufacturers. The
lanyards—worn by many throughout the weekend—serve as a unifying visual
element while highlighting Enjoy the Music.com's ongoing support and our
many years of giving back to the high-end audio community.
--->
Enjoy the Music.com Sponsors SWAF 2026 Show Lanyards & Passport To Sound
Booklet.
The Audiophile Alphabet Problem
Why our music loving hobby will live on forever and ever.
Editorial By Roger Skoff
Music isn't just
music. Even in its simplest form, it consists of sounds and silences strung
together in a rhythmic pattern. And the sounds can be of varying pitch and
timbre and of different loudness and duration, or produced by a single source or
any size group of performers, singing or playing different combinations of
voices and/or instruments. Even the silences can be different, varying in duration from
the briefest hesitation to a complete stop. And that means that the rhythm can
change, too, to reflect an infinite number of cultural and/or mathematical
origins, or combinations of them, or even combinations of combinations of any of
the things just mentioned. The equipment we listen to our music on varies, too, with
every part of it, from the individual system components, to the things they're
paired with, to the room they're played in varying to produce numbers of
combinations – and different sonic characteristics and interpretations – so
great as to truly boggle the mind.
---> The Audiophile Alphabet
Problem.
PERFECT8 Cube-S With Sub Review — Reference-Grade Musical High-Fidelity Loudspeakers With Real-World Transparency
A deep dive into PERFECT8's glass-enclosed omnidirectional loudspeaker sound system that delivers endless musical pleasures for both casual and serious listeners.
Review By Dr. Matthew Clott
OK. Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way... Yes, they are glass speakers, and yes, they sound "transparent." OK. Phew. Glad we got that over with! At a high-end audio show in 2015, I met Jonas from Sweden for the first time in a big room on the first floor. All Ypsilon electronics and their The Point speakers. All glass, open baffle design, dual dipole midrange, and a ribbon tweeter, each sitting on a sealed two-driver subwoofer. As the name implied, they were the closest thing to a point source I had ever heard. Tonally spectacular, they threw a massive sound stage forward, backward, sideward, upward, downward, and every other way there is; and absolutely vanished into that big room. I went back time and time again, and decided that I needed to get to know Jonas better and make sure I heard his room at every show I went to. I also remember the speakers were very expensive, so owning them was not going to happen back then; not without a divorce, and although I loved the speakers, I love my wife too much for that
option....
--->
PERFECT8 Cube-S With Sub Review — Reference-Grade Musical High-Fidelity Loudspeakers With Real-World Transparency.
World Premiere Review!
Charney Audio Kit-1 300B Vacuum Tube Amplifier & Maestro XL
Loudspeakers: World-Class 300B SET Power Meets Voxativ Precision To Deliver Extraordinary Musical Realism
A deep-dive listening review of Charney's new 300B amplifier and Maestro XL musical loudspeakers featuring Voxativ AC-2.6 drivers.
Review By Paul Schumann
When I first walked
into the Charney Audio room at Southwest Audio Fest 2025, I was greeted by this
charming song by Victor Wooten. It was being projected into the room by a pair
of Lumica VI loud speakers. Despite being a single-driver design, the Lumica VIs were
pressurizing the room with their enormous rear-loaded horns. I was intrigued.
The room was super busy at the time, so I snapped a few pics, moved on, and made
a note to myself to swing back later. When I came back a couple of days later, "The Loneliest
Monk" was once again playing, which I thought was an odd bit of synchronicity.
I sat and listened to the Lumica VI speakers and was impressed by how they
filled the room with just a pair of Voxativ AC-2.6 drivers. After taking some
notes, I talked to Brian Charney about reviewing a pair of speakers. After
describing my listening room to him, we decided that none of his speakers would
perform their best there.
--->
Charney Audio Kit-1 300B Vacuum Tube Amplifier & Maestro XL Loudspeakers
Review.
Discover more hi-fi reviews and expert articles within our Review Magazine.
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