Premium
Home And Portable Audio Equipment Reviews
Luxurious Music And Sound Experience For Your Lifestyle
High-End Audio / Audiophile
/ Immersivephile Show Reports
June
2023
Enjoy the Music.com Sponsors T.H.E. Show
SoCal 2023 Media
& Exhibitor Party
Enjoy the Music.com,
premium audio's critically-acclaimed site
for 28 years and a leader in providing luxury audio and music industry news,
highly respected hardware reviews, and sensational show reports, is excited to announce that we're sponsoring
T.H.E. Show SoCal's Thursday night media and exhibitor party! To be held from Friday, June
9th through Sunday, June 11th at the Hilton Orange County Costa Mesa,
both show
exhibitors and members of the press are invited to join us for drinks, music, and good
times. For decades, T.H.E.
Show has been the must-attend event for Southern California music enthusiasts, audiophiles, and hi-fi
devotees alike.
--->
Enjoy the Music.com Sponsors T.H.E. Show SoCal 2023 Media & Exhibitor Party.
HIGH END 2023 Munich Show Report
High End Society's Event In Munich Germany
From May 18th to 21st, 2023, the very special 40th HIGH END trade show in Munich
will once again shine the spotlight on luxurious premium music reproduction systems, inspiring listening enjoyment and exquisite audio technology. For many years, the HIGH END has been providing both the big players in the industry and smaller owner-managed companies with their ideal presentation platform as the
world's leading audio trade show. It is the perfect place to establish business relationships, expand networks and exchange ideas and experiences with other industry
experts.
---> HIGH END 2023 Munich Show Reports.
AXPONA 2023 Show Report
Audio Expo North America 2023 Show Coverage
AXPONA
(Audio Expo North America) 2023 took place from April 14th through 16th at The Renaissance Schaumburg Convention
Center. This three-day experience featured multiple hotel floors packed with over 190 listening
rooms according to the show promoter. The Expo Hall features The Record Fair, The Ear Gear Experience, and seminars. Whether
you're a serious audiophile, a newcomer to high-end audio or simply a music lover,
you found everything you need to immerse yourself in your favorite sounds.
---> AXPONA 2023 Show Reports.
Australian Hi-Fi Show 2023
Highlights Report
The best bits from the brand-new Sydney audio and AV show!
Australian Hi-Fi Show report by Becky Roberts plus contributions from Jez Ford
Well,
my ears had a very good weekend. Yours would've too no doubt, if you also
spent your Friday, Saturday, or Sunday attending Future's first-ever Australian
Hi-Fi Show. Visited on multiple days? Good for you, I hope you managed to cover
most of the 100+ brands that were on display and being demonstrated. Brought to you by
Australian Hi-Fi, What Hi-Fi?, and Sound+Image magazines, the Australian Hi-Fi Show 2023 took place from April 28th through 30th and celebrated the latest and greatest in the hi-fi and AV industry. This show gave visitors the opportunity to see and hear a range of audio products from all around the
world. With over $10,000 in hi-fi prizes up for grabs at the 2023 Australian Hi-Fi Show, attendees surely had a lot to look forward
to.
---> Australian Hi-Fi Show 2023 Show Highlights
Report.
Hi-Fi And Music Industry News
Essential high-end audio news you need to know.
Enjoy the Music.com posts audiophile news virtually every day.
Why Music?
Roger Skoff writes about the most basic question of all.
Article
By Roger Skoff
Many
years ago, when I had a different audio company, I was absolutely shocked
– something that really doesn't happen very often – when one of my dealers
told me that he didn't like music. At first, I thought that I must have heard
him wrong or misunderstood what he said and that it must be some particular
piece of music or some style or instrument that he didn't like. But, when I
asked him what he meant by that, and to please clarify, he told me straight-out
that he found music of any kind to be annoying and didn't like to listen to it.
--->
Why Music?
The Sound Of Silence
Audio systems offer a great entertainment experience when listening to music.
Editorial By J. Martins
Automotive audio is a fascinating topic that
audioXpress has been increasingly exploring. We have received an enthusiastic response from both our readership and the industry, but our strongest motivation has been the unprecedented level of activity and innovation taking place. Looking back 10 years, when we envisaged the new format and the roadmap for this publication, I confess that this was not something I anticipated. Yes, Tesla started selling its Model S in 2012 and we should have foreseen how fully electric vehicles would impact the audio experience as the familiar noise of the combustion engine was suddenly
removed.
---> The Sound Of Silence.
Let's Talk About Music
From the LP to CD and more.
Editorial By Alan Sircom
It's hard to imagine a time without the LP now.
It's not just that the format is 75 years old, but that it is so damn durable. Even if the LP went through another fallow period like it did in the 1990s and early 2000s,
it's still likely to rise, phoenix-like, once again. There's good reason for this, and it's a stealth example buried in this very issue. To illustrate our long history with record players – which goes back to the very first issue – we needed to trawl our archive of text, layouts and photos. Except we
couldn't.
---> Let's Talk About Music.
Inside The Sausage Factory
Robert Harley explains how The Absolute Sound chooses products for
review.
Editorial By Robert Harley
How do we choose products for
review in The Absolute Sound? Why do we review certain products and not
others? What are the criteria for inclusion in the magazine? I'm sure that many readers have asked these questions, so I'll
share with you some of the decision-making that goes into the process. I'll also
let you in on the behind-the-scenes maneuvering that sometimes occurs as
manufacturers jockey for position in the magazine. Although we publish many more product reviews than other
magazines, TAS can review only about 80 to 90 products per year. That
math dictates that we must be very selective in choosing review products out of
the many hundreds of new-product introductions every year.
---> Inside The
Sausage Factory.
The Audio Industry Keeps On Going
Reports of audio's death are greatly exaggerated.
Editorial By Alan Sircom
According to the Mayans, the world was supposed to end on the 21st December, 2012. They
weren't the last to predict the apocalypse, but they had the good sense to die out before they got a chance to see Roland
Emmerich's risible disaster movie loosely based around their prediction. The reason for recalling that truly awful movie is that every day, some event related to high-end audio convinces one of the doom-mongers that The End Is Nigh. Some event, product launch, change in a company fortunes or statistic about music or the economy in general marks the official end of the audio
industry. And yet, that audio industry keeps on going.
---> The Audio Industry Keeps On Going.
Triangle Art L-200 MK2 Stereo Vacuum
Tube
Preamplifier Review
It is Triangulicious!!!
Review By Dr. Matthew Clott
The fascinating thing about
reviewing Triangle Art's L-200 MK2 vacuum tube preamplifier is that it's a tube
pre-amp… and that I know, when I agree to review it, that this review
will not get half the readership to click on it because it has the word
"tube" in it. And I will lose even more because Triangle Art is not a
mainstream name and many do not recognize it. So, for the 20% to 30%-ish of our
readership that made it this far, you will be rewarded by learning about a
pre-amp that everyone should know about! The Triangle Art L-200 MK2 is a $25,000 tube preamp that can
compete with a $40,000 preamp (tube or solid-state), built by a company that has
a creative philosophy similar to Porsche. Take a design and just keep making it
better (think 911 of the 1980s and today); they call it, "Think it
out."
--->
Triangle Art L-200 MK2 Stereo Vacuum Tube Preamplifier Review.
Piega Coax 811 Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review
Don't miss out on the fun!
Review By Michael Lange
Close To Legendary – At the
2022 HIGH END audio show in Munich, Piega shone with the new Coax series. Roger
Kessler, head of development, likes to compare the top model, the 811, to the
Porsche 911. Rightly so? Piega, located in the idyllic town of Horgen by Lake Zurich,
is a family business, now managed in the second generation by Alexander and
Manuel Greiner. The manufacturer has been the undisputed market leader in
Switzerland in the field of high-quality speakers for years and has a firm grip
on the global elite, who of course are also present there. This not only stems from the Swiss attitude and the home
advantage, but also from structures that have grown over more than 30 years:
quality, reliability, and the regular "doors open day" for fans and
people interested in the brand.
--->
Piega Coax 811 Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review.
World Premiere Review!
Critical Mass Systems Center Stage2 LS Series Loudspeaker Footer
Review
Give your speakers a very solid foundation.
Review By Dr. Michael Bump
The
foundation of any piece of equipment is crucial – and in this case, the feet
upon which fine audio components rest must be recognized as a critical juncture.
For me, the isolation and channeling of degrative vibration is as fundamental to
exceptional reproduction of recorded music as is establishing the cleanest
possible electrical power. These two cornerstones must be clearly understood
before any good can come of the substantial investment accrued among high-end
audio components. When I was initially approached to assess the Center Stage2
Loudspeaker Series (LS) footers, I was slightly hesitant. Of course, I was
thrilled to see and hear what they were all about, having reviewed the Critical
Mass Systems Center Stage 2M component footers last year for Enjoy the
Music.com, and subsequently invested in a full complement of the
CS 2M footers for all my audio chassis.
--->
Critical Mass Systems Center Stage2 LS Series Loudspeaker Footer Review.
Simaudio MOON
250i v2 Integrated Amplifier Review
An excellent value for music lovers.
Review By Tom Lyle
This review
is about one of Simaudio's latest products, the MOON 250i v2, an integrated
amplifier with a power output of 50 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms and includes
an onboard Moving Magnet (MM) photo stage. Since this is the first Simaudio
component I've ever reviewed, I had a question about whether MOON was a separate
company from Simaudio or if MOON was simply a line of equipment brought to us
from the company Simaudio. Simaudio has been around since 1980 when this Canadian company
was called Sima Electronics. Their first products were aimed at the professional
market but were soon recognized by audiophiles.
--->
Simaudio MOON 250i v2 Integrated Amplifier Review.
Canton Karat GS Edition Loudspeaker Review
Staying true to neutral sound across all levels.
Review By Michael Lang
According to Tradition – Canton
celebrates its 50th birthday. The company's founder Günther Seitz did not miss
the opportunity to modernize one of his favorite loudspeakers. That resulted in
the elegant Karat GS Edition floorstanding speaker. To successfully stand your ground on the market for half a
century while never giving up the ambition of providing high-quality music
reproduction for every budget – Günther Seitz and his team have achieved this
rare feat with flying colors. Thanks to high innovative strength, remarkable
vertical integration, and a sense for the wishes of customers and emerging
trends, the outlook for the future of the family-owned company Canton is more
positive than what might be said about some of its competitors.
--->
Canton Karat GS Edition Loudspeaker Review.
Cary Audio SLP-98P Vacuum Tube Preamplifier Review
Cary Audio SLP-98P Tube Preamplifier Review A stellar tube-driven preamplifier and perhaps the biggest bang for the buck.
Review By Gary Lea
Audiophiles that might be reading
this are most likely very familiar with Cary Audio, originally the brainchild of
Dennis Had who is something of a legend in our industry. The venerable Cary 805
Mono Block Power amplifiers are legendary, and the audio equivalent of the
Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari 512 Testa Rosa. Many of us had a poster of one
or the other car on our walls as youngsters depending of course on marque
loyalty. If you were well-heeled you had both posters. I had pictures of the 805s framed on my desk until I obtained
the real thing for my stereo system.
--->
Cary Audio SLP-98P Vacuum Tube Preamplifier Review.
FiiO R7 Music Server / Streamer / Headphone Amplifier Review
The solution....
Review By Gary Alan Barker
For
quite some time now I have been using my FiiO M11 as my music server for burning
in products and more recently since I changed computers, for running my
reference system as my tube amp picks up noise from the computer's USB out. The
drawback of this is the M11 is not a desktop device so it doesn't have a direct
power-in (meaning I can either use the single USB port to charge or drive my
DAC, but not both at the same time), and it is not fully ergonomic for desktop
use. Enter the new FiiO R7, a fully functional streaming music
server that can run on either AC or DC, has two USB ports (so I can connect to
my hard drives and DAC at the same time), its own ES9068AS DAC built in,
connected to two THX AAA 788+ Headphone Amplifiers for both single-ended and
balanced output....
--->
FiiO R7 Music Server / Streamer / Headphone Amplifier Review.
Video: Rick Rubin's 60 Minutes Interview
In Focus: Legendary music enthusiast and producer Rick Rubin.
As an New York
University college student, Rick Rubin launched Def Jam Recordings some 40 years ago and has been a hitmaker ever since.
Within the below video we can enjoy Anderson Cooper interviewing this incredible music producer
concerning his very unique approach to creating and experiencing music. Born Frederick Jay
Rubin in March 1963, Rick Rubin is an American record producer and executive who co-founded (with Russell Simmons) Def Jam Recordings. Rick is also the founder of American Recordings and former co-president of Columbia
Records.
--->
Video: Rick Rubin's 60 Minutes Interview.
Video: McIntosh Laboratory Factory Tour
Gramophone gives us a look at a
legendary premium audio company.
Founded in 1949, McIntosh Laboratory offers premium home audio systems that produce an exceptional audio experience. While the company initially
focused on stereo system, in modern times they have expanded to offer stereo and immersive audio multi-channel audio
products. McIntosh Labs is best known for their signature blue Watt output meter
and green logo. McIntosh Labs' products are designed and handcrafted at
their Binghamton, New York factory by passionate employees who love music. Furthermore, McIntosh Labs has powered moments in music history and pop culture including
the USA's then President Lyndon Johnson's inauguration speech to the first Woodstock music festival. Many also know the company for helping power the now-famous Grateful Dead 'Wall of
Sound'.
---> Video: McIntosh Laboratory Factory Tour.
Video: Valve Amplification Company Factory Tour
An exclusive factory tour of VAC thank to Jay's Audio Lab.
Article By Steven R. Rochlin
Valve Amplification Company (VAC) was launched by chief designer Kevin Hayes with a passion about music realism so it sounds like the real thing within your home. With many awards and positive reviews globally in many publications, VAC products are considered masterpieces as they not only sound incredible, they also look the part
too. According to VAC, "The difference between a good amplifier and a great amplifier resides in the details, and in the passion of the designer. One of the reasons for superiority of VAC equipment is that VAC uses vacuum tube technology almost exclusively. After almost 100 years since its invention, the triode vacuum tube remains the most linear (accurate) amplifying element known producing superior sonic
performance."
--->
Video: Valve Amplification Company Factory Tour.
Klipsch: In 1989 A Fan Visits The Klipsch Factory
Plus a bonus video interview with Paul W. Klipsch!
Enjoy the Music.com is featuring very special vintage videos! The company's self-proclaimed "#1 Klipsch Fan" Kevin visits the Klipsch in Hope,
Arkansas back in 1989 and enjoyed videoing a special factory tour. As many audio historians know, the genesis of the company began within a tiny tin shed back in 1946. This is when Paul W. Klipsch designed and hand-built the legendary Klipschorn speaker with the goal of bringing live music into his
home. Today, that tin shed is now a full-fledged factory with its own cabinet production line, while Klipsch's headquarters have moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. Getting back to Paul W. Klipsch, it was during his service at the Southwest Proving Grounds that he refined his corner horn speaker
design.
--->
Video: Klipsch: In 1989 A Fan Visits The Klipsch Factory.
Art
Dudley's The Intro
When I first heard about the Internet, I thought it was a load of crap.
Editorial By Art Dudley
When I was five years old, grocery stores began selling a
product called Happy Nut, which I considered ingenious: peanut butter shaped into quarter-pound sticks, like
butter, and filled with a core of grape jelly. With Happy Nut on the butter dish, one
did not have to bother opening two jars (or even one!) before enjoying a healthy,
satisfying meal: It was a simple and time-saving matter of dipping one's knife,
spreading one's spread, and eating. The fact that the Happy Nut logo was a picture of a
monkey was icing on the cake. To my five-year-old consumer consciousness, nothing made more sense: This
was the pinnacle of modern achievement. From the moment I first saw it, I could not
imagine life without Happy Nut.
---> Art Dudley's The Intro.
Fi "X" Direct Coupled 2A3 SE
Amplifier Review
From Sound Practices
Issue 15
I could hardly believe my eyes with the "Xu
ad spread out in front of me. First of all, you have to ask "What is it?" The answer is
that it's a stereo 2A3 single amp. Who would have thought? I don't usually get sucked in by slick advertising campaigns, but the second I saw the
ad for the Fi direct coupled 2A3 " X amplifier, I immediately had to own one. As a
homebuilder, I don't often get the urge to whip out the Amex card for store
bought gear but the "X" really hit my button hard. Despite all the charms of the 2A3, "best tube" according to many confirmed triode
nuts, there isn't much perceived desire to own three watt amps yet. People just don't
realize what they can do, yet.
---> Fi "X" Direct Coupled 2A3 SE Amplifier Review.
Is CD Or Vinyl Better?
Article By Steven Schneider
VALVE Volume 2 Number
3 March 1995
I recently purchased the CD version of
the RCA High Fidelity Living Stereo reissue of Richard Strauss' Also Sprach
Zarathustra, Op. 30 [09026-61 494-2] and wanted to compare it with my brand new Classic Records (a mail order firm)
LP reissue [LSC1806] of the same 1955 recording session. The performance features Fritz Reiner directing the Chicago
Symphony. The equipment used for this review were a Revox 8226 CD player, a DUAL 5000 turntable, Signet
AM30s cartridge, Eico ST84 preamplifier, a custom built Macintosh MI 200AB triode stereo amplifier using 8005 output
tubes, and a pair of custom built three way JBL Hartsfield speakers. The test that I performed was an A-B test between
the CD and the record running simultaneously.
---> Is CD Or Vinyl Better?
Aavik I-180 Integrated Stereo Amplifier Review
You call this entry-level?
Review By Michael Lang
With the integrated amplifier
from the entry-level 180 series, Aavik took a radical turn: leaving behind heavy
castles of aluminum in favor of natural materials and shapes derived from
musical instruments. Aavik is the electronics side of a company-triumvirate, the
other two being Børresen as a loudspeaker brand and Ansuz as a supplier of
cables and accessories. Regular STEREO readers might be familiar with Aavik
thanks to the impressive U-300 integrated amplifier equipped with a phono stage
and DAC. Or maybe also due to the D-180 DAC or R-180 phono
preamp, which has already received excellent reviews recently. The device featured here has almost nothing in common with the
U-300 – neither the martial exterior nor the idea of amplifiers having to have
"everything under one roof" made its way into the here and now. Beyond
that, no stone was left unturned either!
--->
Aavik I-180 Integrated Stereo Amplifier Review.
The White House Recording Library
The forgotten vinyl LP collection.
Featuring John Chuldenko, the grandson of President Jimmy Carter
Video By The 1600 Sessions
A donation from the Recording Industry Association of America to the Nixon White House, the White House Recording Library was comprised of
2000 LPs, and overseen by a committee of scholars, journalists, and musicians. The library was then stored away and forgotten. John
Chuldenko, the grandson of President Jimmy Carter, recalls hearing stories of the collection and began his search to uncover the lost music. He shares his quest and discovery with White House Historical Association President Stewart
McLaurin. This video is hosted by the White House Historical Association President Stewart
McLaurin, with guest John Chuldenko,
Grandson of President Jimmy Carter.
---> The White House Recording Library.
Q&A With Richard Chycki Award-Winning Recording/Mixing Engineer & Immersive Audio Specialist
Best known in the surround-sound music community for his 5.1 surround mixes of
Rush's back catalog, Richard Chycki continues to innovate in the realm of immersive audio with Dolby Atmos.
Article By Immersive Audio Album (IAA)
Richard Chycki is a
multi-platinum mixer and engineer whose clients include such rock royalty as
Rush, Aerosmith, Dream Theater, Skillet, Mick Jagger, Alice Cooper, Pink and
many more. Known for his pioneering mix work in multichannel
audio, prog icons Rush entrusted Chycki to remix the multi-million selling 2112 (1976),
their career pinnacle Moving Pictures (1981), as well as A
Farewell To Kings (1977), Hemispheres (1978), Signals (1982), Snakes
& Arrows (2007) and Fly By Night (1975) in 5.1
surround sound. More recently, he's mixed Moving Pictures and
The Tragically Hip's Road Apples (1991) for their respective
40th and 30th anniversaries.
--->
Q&A With Richard Chycki Recording/Mixing Engineer & Immersive Audio Specialist.
World Premiere Review!
Black Ice Audio Fusion F100 Monoblock Vacuum Tube Power
Amplifier Review
Plus a great story about Jim Fosgate's Odyssey circuit.
Review By Ron Nagle
To tube or
not to tube? Strange as it may seem, that age-old question is still relevant.
Today new materials and innovative designs have taken vacuum tube audio
components to a higher level. When I first saw the Black Ice Fusion F100 in room
504 at the Capital Audiofest, they were powered with Russian Tung-Sol KT150 beam
tetrodes. This innovative tube is only one type of power tube the F100 can use,
each with a different musical voice. This ability has a substantial fundamental
advantage. Unlike solid-state amplifiers, you need not be stuck with one
solid-state sound. Like a fine wine, the sound of vacuum tube audio components
can appeal to many diverse tastes.
--->
Black Ice Audio Fusion F100 Monoblock Vacuum Tube Power Amplifier Review.
HIGH END 2000 In Frankfurt
With the High End
Society's HIGH END 2023 show in Munich only a few days away,
we felt it was time to take a look back at their event decades ago. Enjoy
the Music.com published the world's largest HIGH END 2000 show coverage from Frankfurt
Germany online! Audio enthusiasts from all across Europe, both trade and consumer, have gathered here from June 1st through June 4th, 2000 in Frankfurt Germany to attend the HIGH END at the Kempinski Hotel.
Attendees were able to listen to the great Hi-Fi and Home Theatre brands many have only read about in magazines and on the
Internet.
---> Throwback: HIGH END 2000 In Frankfurt.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Classic Audiophiles Versus Modern Music Lovers
Will 360-degree audio change the face of old-school stereo
'philes?
Editorial By Steven R. Rochlin
Modern
times bring modern solutions. First came recording audio over 100 years ago
using a now-primitive needle scraping wax. Eventually we humans invented the
microphone, to eventually amplifying musical instruments to the point of going
full-out synthesizing via Moog and others producing 100%
electronically-created musical instruments. Music lovers over the generations
have gone from the wax cylinder and vinyl LP recordings to today's pure digital
Hi-Res Music. What was once a challenge to find that special rare vinyl LP
record within your 2000+ collection has become to today's computer search
feature that instantly streams your fave tune from the millions of albums
available online. How are those 'Classic Audiophile' types going to accept the 'Modern
Audiophile' is still yet to be fully grasped imho.
---> Where Do We Go From Here? Classic Audiophiles Versus Modern Music Lovers.
Lossless Streaming Music: Welcome To 20 Years Ago
Today we're only 10 years behind the curve, and here's why...
Editorial By Steven R. Rochlin
Welcome to the February 2019 edition of Enjoy the Music.com's
Review Magazine. Yada yada new reviews, some other bits here and there
you may enjoy in this issue, plus of course a wonderful think piece by Roger
Skoff. There's a World Premiere Review of the ultra-fi, and incredible,
$73,000 per pair Triangle Art TA-200M Class A monoblock power amplifiers, plus
bargain vinyl lovers can enjoy our review of Sumiko's $149 Rainier moving
magnet (MM) phono cartridge. MrSpeakers Ether 2 over-the-ear headphones, etc,
etc, and yes etc. Look, just insert all the usual (boring) stuff that always
seems to appear within an editorial about whatever the heck is within that
magazine's monthly issue.
--->
Lossless Streaming Music: Welcome To 20 Years Ago.
Previous Issues
2023
January
February March
April May
2022
January
February March
April May
June
July
August September
October November
Great
Audiophile Gift 2022 December
2021
January
February March
April May
June
July
August September
October November
Great
Audiophile Gift 2021 December
Note: We have magazine issues dating back to 1999.
See our archives section for all reviews.
Have
Your Voice Heard!
We have thousands who've joined us on social media and you're invited too!
Come join the conversation on Facebook
and Instagram
to meet like-minded music lovers. For our business partners, be sure to
join and follow us on LinkedIn
for important business updates, event information, and much more. As always...
enjoy the music.
High-End Audio And Audiophile Review Magazine.
