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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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Enjoy
the Music.com's August Issue — Expert Reviews & Gear Analysis + SWAF
2026 Show Report
In-depth high-fidelity audio reviews, exclusive articles, and the latest
high-end audio gear featured at SWAF 2026.
Our August Review Magazine presents reviews and a focused, professional roundup of the
month's most notable high-end audio gear showcased at Southwest Audio Fest 2026. This issue features authoritative component reviews and
hands-on listening impressions alongside editorial contributions from leading audiophile publications. Whether you are evaluating amplifiers, cables, or loudspeakers, the August issue offers rigorous testing and practical recommendations to inform confident purchase
decisions. Highlights include an
in-depth evaluation of the SVS Pinnacle loudspeaker, a model that continues to earn widespread acclaim. Our review pairs technical and
real-world listening notes to provide a balanced assessment of performance and value. We also introduce
Tiglon's cabling solutions to you, including a full-system cabling overview and the world premiere of their Golden Dragon digital cable. We are honored to present a detailed appraisal of
Esoteric's new
S-05XE amplifier, examining how it conveys the music's meaning and wonderful emotional
backing. Each article and review emphasizes the attributes that matter most to discerning listeners....
---> August Issue — Expert Reviews & Gear Analysis + SWAF 2026 Show
Report.
Southwest Audio Fest 2026
Luxury High-Fidelity Audio Show Report
Reference-level hi-fi audio
gear, seminars, & marketplace for audiophiles and music lovers.
Southwest Audio Fest 2026 returns to Dallas from July 23rd through 25th with a sharpened
three-day schedule designed to maximize energy, attendance, and high-end listening opportunities. Organizers have officially dropped the traditional Sunday session in favor of a
Thu-to-Sat format, responding to
longstanding industry feedback about slow final day traffic. The new structure opens Thursday from 2
pm to 8 pm, followed by full days Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm, creating a more focused and efficient show experience for exhibitors and attendees alike. Hosted at the Sheraton Convention Center in downtown Dallas, the 2026 edition offers expansive demo rooms, proximity to the Arts and Historic Districts, and easy access to restaurants, museums, and cultural attractions. Exhibitors will include major manufacturers, boutique builders, dealers, and independent designers presenting everything from floorstanding loudspeakers and reference turntables to
cutting-edge DACs, streamers, and room treatment solutions.
---> Southwest Audio Fest 2026
Show Report.
Warner Music Group Posts Strong Q3 Gains As Streaming Momentum Accelerates
Warner Music Group (WMG) reported a powerful fiscal third quarter for the period ending June 30 (2026), driven by surging subscription streaming revenue, disciplined cost management, and broad-based growth across Recorded Music and Music Publishing. Total revenue climbed 10% year-over-year (9% in constant currency), while net income swung sharply to $200 million, a dramatic turnaround from a $16 million loss in the prior-year quarter. CEO Robert Kyncl emphasized that this marks the
company's fifth consecutive quarter meeting or exceeding targets, crediting improved streaming economics, resilient global market share, and operational leverage. Subscription streaming revenue rose at double-digit rates, supported by stronger terms with DSP partners and positive industry trends. Acting CFO Lou Dickler added that WMG remains on track to hit the high end of its 150–200 basis point full-year margin expansion
guidance.
---> Warner Music Group Posts Strong Q3 Gains As Streaming Momentum Accelerates. 
hi-fi+ August 2026 High-End
Audio Magazine
Editorial: Sony's Disc-Free Future & Dynaudio's Exit Signal Shifts In Audio Industry
Pear Audio Blue Aras and Cornet 3 Turntable And Tonearm
SUPATRAC Nighthawk Turntable Tonearm
Trafomatic Audio Elysian Valve Power Amplifier
Enleum AMP-54R Stereo Integrated Amplifier
Atlantis Lab AT16 Pro Floorstanding Loudspeaker
JBL Summit Ama Stand-Mount Loudspeaker
Roksan Caspian 4G Preamp / Power Amplifier
Ferrum Wandla HP DAC / Headphone Amplifier
Tellurium Q Silver III Loudspeaker Cable And Interconnect Cables
...And Much More!
---> hi-fi+
August 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. 
Musick Hath Charms
How good sound affects the body, the brain, and the beating heart.
Editorial By Roger Skoff
"Musick hath charms to soothe the savage
breast." William
Congreve wrote that in 1697, and although the spelling has been modernized and
the sentiment has been misquoted for centuries, the underlying truth hasn't
budged. Music—real music, heard with attention and reproduced with
fidelity—still reaches places inside us that nothing else can. It calms, it
stirs, it organizes the mind, and it can even nudge the body toward better
health. In an age when so many people listen through plastic earbuds
that cost less than a cheap lunch, the idea that sound quality still matters may
seem quaint, but it isn't; It's biology. We are, after all, resonant creatures. Our hearts beat
rhythmically, our lungs cycle, our brains fire in waves. We are built on
oscillation. When we encounter external rhythms—melody, harmony, pulse—we
don't just hear them; we physically align with them. Our nervous system syncs.
Our endocrine system adjusts. Blood pressure shifts. That's not poetry. It's
measurable physiology.
---> Musick Hath
Charms.
World Premiere Review!
Merrill Audio Element 116MX Review: High-End Monoblock Power Amplifiers With Exceptional Clarity & Dynamics
Our exclusive In-depth listening tests reveals the 116MX's exceptionally low noise floor, expansive immersive soundscape, and reference-level transparency.
Review By Tom Lyle
In this review, I will describe and sonically examine Merrill
Audio's Element 116MX monoblock power amplifiers. Given the number of Merrill
Audio reviews I have written over the past decade, I suppose some may accuse me
of favoritism. I'm often chosen to review their components simply because I
live close to their factory. As a bonus, they can deliver their products
personally and then help me set them up, rather than simply shipping them to me.
The Element 116MX is Merrill Audio's newest component, and the most powerful
and most pricey amplifier I've reviewed from them. It is a significant upgrade
over their earlier
Element 116 (sans MX), which Dr. Michael Bump reviewed in the summer of 2019
in Enjoy the Music.com. In this very positive review, he remarked that the Element
116 "delivers some of the best amplification anywhere." Merrill Audio claims that the Element 116MX "offers greater
clarity, detail, and dynamic range."
--->
Merrill Audio Element 116MX Review: High-End Monoblock Power Amplifiers With Exceptional Clarity &
Dynamics.
Mastered By Bob Ludwig — Inside The Art & Science Of Elite Music Mastering
A revealing look at Bob Ludwig's legendary mastering process, his award-earning career, and the techniques behind the world's most acclaimed recordings.
Bob Ludwig is the owner of Gateway Mastering and a 11-time Grammy award winning mastering engineer. Gateway Mastering Studios goal is to produce the very best sounding masters for their clients – both creatively and technically perfect. Their exceptional team accomplishes this by challenging the edge of audio performance while exceeding our
customers' expectations with excellent service. As an 8-year-old child in South Salem, New York, Bob Ludwig was so fascinated with his first tape recorder he used to make recordings of whatever was on the radio. Ludwig is a classical musician by training, having obtained his
bachelor's and master's degrees from the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, New York, where he was also involved in the sound department and played Principal Trumpet with the Utica Symphony Orchestra. Inspired by Phil Ramone when he came to the school to teach a summer recording workshop, he ended up working as his assistant for the course. Phil asked him if he would like to work at A&R Recording.
---> Mastered By Bob Ludwig An Exploration Of His Career And
Techniques.
Try A Screen Driven Driver Stage
Article By Rikard Berglund
From Sound Practices
Issue 8
Some output tubes (211 and 845) need a very
high drive voltage with low distortion. Some tube freaks have used the 300B tube as a driver
but it is very expensive. Others have tried to use a triode connected EL34 but it is not
linear enough. A pentode driven on the screen grid is very linear. I have tried this concept in a new driver
stage, as shown on the accompanying schematic. The first two tubes V1 and V2 form an
asymmetrical mu-follower. V3 is a screen grid driven pentode. Adjust the potentiometer R9
to 350V DC at the plate of V3. You can use many different tubes for V3. I made distortion measurements for some different tube types with the results given in
table 2. EL36 and 5881 are the two best tubes. The linearity of these two tubes in this
"enhanced" mode is even better than for a 300B tube used as a driver.
---> Try A Screen Driven Driver
Stage.
Discover more hi-fi reviews and expert articles within our Review Magazine.
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