|
| |
|
High-Performance
Audio Gear Reviews,
Music News, Show Reports, Articles & More!
30 Years Of Service To Music
Lovers.
|
|
May's
Incredible High-End Audio
Review Magazine
Plus SWAF, Montreal, AXPONA, HIGH END, And More!
This month we feature industry news, gear reviews, plus think pieces, though it is our extensive show coverage that shines brightly. May marks
Enjoy the Music.com's fifth show coverage during 2025 (five separate shows). During 2025, we have posted extensive show coverage of the Florida International Audio Expo, Southwest Audio Fest, Montreal Audiofest, AXPONA, and soon HIGH END and a special surprise along the way. Reporting on high-end audio shows offers a range of benefits, whether you're a journalist, industry professional, or passionate audiophile.
Enjoy the Music.com gives you access to information on cutting-edge audio technology. We feature the latest advancements in sound reproduction, providing you the benefits of our firsthand expert experience with groundbreaking reference loudspeakers, both vacuum tube and solid-state amplifiers, Hi-Res Audio DACs, turntables, cables, tweaks, and other equipment before they reach your local high-end audio store.
---> May's High-End Audio Review Magazine Plus
Audiophile Show Reports And More!
HIGH END 2025 Munich Audiophile
Show Report
The HIGH END 2025
audiophile / immersivephile event is an internationally renowned audio exhibition that will take place from May 15 to May 18, 2025, at the
M.O.C. Event Center in Munich, Germany. This event is a must-visit for anyone passionate about high-quality audio technology, as it brings together
manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and in open to consumers from over 40
countries. The HIGH END 2025 exhibition will feature hundreds of exhibitors showcasing their latest innovations in
consumer electronics technology, including hi-fi audio, high-end video, home theater, and bespoke entertainment
solutions for millionaires and billionaires alike. Visitors can expect to experience groundbreaking trends, technological advances, and exclusive world
premieres. This year's brand ambassador is the Norwegian singer Anette Askvik, who embodies the event's motto "Passion for Music". Her hypnotic sound and deep emotion perfectly reflect the passion for promoting audio technology that the HIGH END
2025 exhibition aims to convey.
---> Enjoy the
Music.com's HIGH END 2025 Audiophile Show Report.
AXPONA 2025 High-End Audiophile
Show Report
AXPONA 2025 (Audio Expo North America) is set to take place from April 11th through 13th at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center in
Illinois. This annual event is for audiophiles and features a wide range of high-fidelity,
high-performance audio gear. Over 200 rooms will let you listen and assess the equipment being presented.
An extensive AXPONA 2025 show report for longtime Enjoy the Music.com enthusiasts
will showcase the latest and greatest audio equipment from top audio brands. For personal audio, the Ear Gear Experience (akin to CanJam shows) is a dedicated area for headphones and personal audio gear, including open-back, closed-back, and in-ear monitors (IEM). There's also an Expo Hall & Record Fair that will have stereo hi-fi audio accessories, vinyl LP turntables / record players, various cable manufacturers, and more.
---> Enjoy the Music.com's Extensive AXPONA 2025
Show Report. 
Montreal Audiofest 2025
Audiophile Show Report
The Salon Audio Montreal Audiofest
2025 took place from March 28th through 30th with more than 5000 visitors
expected who desired listening, seeing, and touching over 300 brands of high-end
audiophile products
all under one roof. As the largest show in Canada, attendees experienced
the very best high-end audio and video / videophile industry distributors, manufacturers, and retailers in Canada.
Within each listening room, exhibitors were overjoyed to share their passion for music with you by demonstrating some of the world's best sound systems from
$5000 to $500,000. Montréal Audiofest was celebrating its 36th edition
in 2025 and remains the must-attend event for audiophiles, high-end audio gear
enthusiasts, and music lovers. This long-standing
event has become a tradition in showcasing the very latest advances in high-technology,
high-fidelity audio equipment in Canada. More than 300 brands will present their latest
innovations from music streamers and high-quality headphones to cables, tweaks,
loudspeakers, turntables, and much more!
---> Montreal Audiofest 2025 Audiophile Show
Report.
This Weekend: HIGH END
2025 Audiophile Show In Munich
This weekend, High End Society is set to unveil its much-anticipated HIGH END 2025 audiophile show — a veritable playground for those with an ear for perfection. The event brings together a carefully curated collection of the latest, most refined audio technology, offering an immersive experience that transcends traditional sound systems. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge hi-fi innovations, from bespoke speakers and precision-engineered amplifiers to next-generation listening devices. This is not merely an exhibition; it is a celebration of the art of sound, where every demonstration is designed to reveal the intricate craftsmanship behind each component and how these innovations redefine auditory
experiences. Beyond the dazzling array of high-end audio products and live
demos at HIGH END 2025 in Munich, the audiophile show also promises a lineup of expert-led panels and intimate sessions with industry pioneers.
---> Enjoy the Music.com's
Exclusive HIGH END 2025 Audiophile Show Report. 
Best Of Montreal Audiofest 2025
Blue Note Awards
Longtime audiophile Rick Becker picks the best products at the Montreal
Audiofest 2025.
Montreal Audiofest 2025 Show Report By Rick Becker
There was something for everyone at this
year's Montreal
Audiofest, from entry-level to cost-no-concern. The mood was enthusiastic and
upbeat. The people in this industry work for the good and
benefit of others. Below are my choices for those who earned a special Enjoy
the Music.com Best Of Montreal Audiofest 2025 Blue Note Award. Music is the social lubricant of
humanity. I hope you've enjoyed this chronicle. Have a great summer,
and enjoy some live music. I hope to see my Canadian friends again in Toronto in
October.
---> Best Of Montreal Audiofest 2025 Blue Note
Awards.
Hi-Fi+ May 2025 High-End
Audio Magazine
Editorial: A Clarion Call For Audio Today
Audiovector R 10 Arreté Floorstanding Loudspeaker
Magico S5 Floorstanding Loudspeaker
Computer Audio Design 1543 MkIII DAC
Trilogy 914 / 994 Prea And Mono Amplifiers
HzProject HzCORE Audio / Music Server
Accuphase E-700 Stereo Integrated Amplifier
Marantz 60n Stereo Int. Streaming Amplifier
Fyne Audio F701SP Stand-Mount Speaker
hARt Lab Tune Three Power Amplifier
Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl Phono Stage
...And Much More!
---> Hi-Fi+'s
May 2025 High-End Audio Magazine.
Masimo Sells Sound United To HARMAN International
Masimo Corporation, a global medical / technology company, has announced the sale of its consumer audio business, Sound United, to HARMAN International, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, for $350 million in cash. This decision marks a strategic shift for Masimo, which originally expanded into the audio market through its acquisition of Sound United to integrate health-monitoring technology into consumer electronics. However, with new leadership and a redefined focus, Masimo has opted to concentrate on its core healthcare business, seeking to drive innovation in patient monitoring and medical technology. The divestiture is expected to strengthen
Masimo's ability to address unmet clinical needs while ensuring the consumer audio brands find a new home under HARMAN's
expertise. For HARMAN, a company that designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, acquiring Sound United represents a significant expansion of its audio portfolio, which includes JBL, Harman Kardon, and
AKG.
---> Masimo Sells Sound United To HARMAN International. 
Doing What's Best For The Luxury Audio Community
A heart-to-heartfelt wish as there's much work to do!
Editorial By Steven R. Rochlin
Since
it has been quite some time since writing an article, I'd like to first thank
all our readers for your patience in product delivery over the past year. Supply
constraints combined with various factory closings globally over the past year
have been a challenge for many of us. While many of us stayed home, we took much
joy, and a careful listen, to our luxury audio systems. With many of your
wanting to upgrade your gear, there were many companies I spoke with who were
simply inundated with orders. As someone who gives close attention to the luxury
goods market for decades, the health of the industry also rests on the used
marketplace. Am sure many of you have seen the rise in asking prices for
pre-loved gear. This, imho, reinforces the value of high-end audio products.
--->
Doing What's Best For The Luxury Audio Community.
The Future Of Our Audiophile Hobby Part
4
Concerning the things to come… and what will make them
better!
Article
By Roger Skoff
In Part 1 of "The Future Of Our Audiophile Hobby",
more in
Part 2 of The Future, plus Part
3 last month, the necessarily lengthy articles about our hobby and the
industry that serves it, I told about how our hobby was once what computers and
cell phones are today: the state-of-the-art, the thing that everybody knew
about, loved, and had to have. I also wrote about how it has, since then, fallen
from glory, and become, for most people, at best a curiosity, and at worst, a
sort of utility (everybody uses water, gas, and electricity, but nobody gets
excited about them), and that the problem has gone so far that – even though
they are constantly surrounded by music of some sort and some quality at
practically every turn, many people don't even know what the words "hi-fi" or "stereo"
mean. To a very great degree, I wrote, our hobby has become
one for a declining number of old men and is in current and specific danger of
following the electric train....
--->
The Future Of Our Audiophile Hobby Part 4.
World Premiere Review!
Trilogy Audio Systems 914 Preamplifier And 994 Monoblock Power
Amplifier Review
Conveying musicality, engagement, and emotional connection to your favorite music.
Review By Chris Beeching
Trilogy Audio Systems, that small
but perfectly formed UK audio electronics company turns 35 this year.
Brain-child of Nic Poulson, Trilogy has brought highly engaging and musical
products to the public's ears with critical acclaim for three decades.
Something new coming from this stable, where new products are something of a
rarity (and whose legacy products still command decent price tags) is a rather
special event. Like so many smaller entities, Trilogy has been quietly bringing beautifully styled and highly listenable products to market in a resolute but unassuming way. Never one to shout loudly about what they do, they have earned an enviable following, and consistently produce amplification which, in a very understated way, produces far more (in every respect) than the seeming sum of their parts. Just coming to market this month are the Trilogy Audio Systems 914 preamplifier and the partnering 994 monoblock power amps.
--->
Trilogy Audio Systems 914 Preamplifier And 994 Monoblock Power Amplifier Review.
World Premiere Review!
Grandinote Mach 8 XL Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review
Reproducing the heart and soul within recorded music.
Review By Dr. Matthew Clott
What has eight woofers, one horn
compression tweeter, no crossovers (well maybe a single capacitor, first order
high pass for the tweeter. So a filter, not formally a crossover), and a semi
resonance tube 'transmission line like' cabinet? You guessed it, the Grandinote
Mach 8 XL speaker does. Wow... You're good! And so are they! Although it sounds counterintuitive, the one word that comes
to mind when describing these very tall, nine-driver speakers is, "Simple."
Massimiliano Magri's design philosophy equates to the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep
It Simple Stupid). Reduce resonance in the simplest way possible. Reduce
intrusion of capacitance, inductance, and resistance as much as possible by
eliminating the use of crossover components. Utilize elegant and simple speaker
design to improve performance by implementing a modified transmission line that
they refer to as a Semi resonance tube.
--->
Grandinote Mach 8 XL Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review.
World Premiere Review!
Synergistic Research PowerCell 14 Power Conditioner Review
Raising the performance of audiophile gear you plug into it.
Review By Rick Becker
The naysayers on internet forums will have
a "hey"-day with this review. They complain about reviewers who proclaim that
each new product they review is better than the last one. Well, I'm here to
plead "guilty" as this is the third power conditioner I've reviewed in the past
seven months, along with an incredible 650 photos and 59,000 words in the
reviews of the Toronto Audiofest 2024 and Capital Audiofest 2024. Each power
conditioner was better than the last, as well as significantly more expensive.
Let me give you an overview in case you haven't been following along. My longstanding power conditioner, since July 2017 when the
review was published by Enjoy the Music.com, had been the Synergistic PowerCell 8 UEF SE with an
Atmosphere Level 2 power cord, a unit that sold for about $2000 at the time.
--->
Synergistic Research PowerCell 14 Power Conditioner Review.
World Premiere Review!
Tobian Sound Systems 12FH Full-Range Reference Horn
Speaker Review
The feeling of being within the studio as musicians
play.
Review By Tom Lyle
The Tobian 12 FH hornspeakers' moniker,
"Full Range Horn Speakers," accurately reflects their capabilities.
These floor-standing speakers feature a 4-inch compression driver with a
9.5-inch
horn / mid-high compression driver featuring a titanium diaphragm. The
"12" in their name likely refers to their "ultra-light"
12-inch woofer located beneath the horn, near the bottom of their cabinet. The
speakers have an impressive frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Indeed, these
are full-range high-sensitivity loudspeakers. Designed and built in Switzerland, the Tobian 12 FH
speakers look striking. Their real wood cabinets measure approximately 3-feet
tall, 13-inches wide, and 16.5-inches deep. They are available in custom
finishes, although I can't imagine most listeners being more than satisfied with
one of their standard finishes: natural wood, high-gloss lacquer, or matte
lacquer.
--->
Tobian Sound Systems 12FH Full-Range Reference Horn Speaker Review.
More reviews & articles within our Review Magazine.
|
|
|
