February
2026
Celebrating
Our Spectacular 30th Anniversary!
Honoring Enjoy the Music.com's
exceptional articles and reviews.
During 2026, Enjoy the Music.com
will feature historic audio gear reviews and articles during our past 30
years. As always, in the end what really matters is that
you... enjoy the music!
High-Performance
Audio & Music Industry News
Essential high-end audio news you need to know.
Stay up-to-date on the latest audiophile and music industry news.
Giving The Gift Of Music On Valentine's Day
Roses only last a week, romantic music lasts a lifetime.
Editorial By Roger Skoff
It's coming;
Valentine's Day on February 14th, and this year should be something extra
special! Sharing your life and love as you warmly show how you feel about
her. And while a simple bunch of roses is acceptable— at least where I live
— they run close to a hundred bucks! Sure, they're lovely, and they do check
the "romantic gesture" box, but, unlike a romantic relationship, flowers, they
just don't last. They start drooping in just a day or two. In just a few days
more, they're looking tired, and before a week is up, they're ready for the
trash. It's a lot of money to pay for something that isn't going to last a whole
lot longer than it takes for your tubes to warm up. Why not give her something that lasts longer, shows your
feelings more personally, may cost less than the traditional blooms, and carries
a bonus no bouquet can ever match? If it's music, she may have to play it on your
system! This is also a great opportunity to get her a sound system, too, but let's
save that for another Valentine's Day.
--->
Giving The Gift Of Music On Valentine's Day.
Luxury Home Audio Shows Q1 2026 — FIAE, Montreal Audiofest, & AXPONA: Rediscover Hi-Fi Listening
As we report, you can join us at three luxurious
home audio events that bring vibrant, immersive music into our lives... and living rooms.
Editorial By Steven R. Rochlin
The excitement
builds as there is a particular kind of purified electricity that hums through a
hotel corridor when a high-end audio show is in full swing: the deep bass, silky
smooth highs, and confident amplifiers warm n' happy. From the soft sounds of
small acoustic ensembles to bold bands, the quick, conspiratorial exchange of
favorite reference tracks between strangers who will leave as friends. For each
of the next three months, Enjoy the Music.com will be there, meeting our
fans, and ensuring you get our expert review assessments & info on the
latest and best audiophile gear! Our exclusive 2026 high-end audiophile show reports
of the Florida International Audio
Expo, Montreal Audiofest, and AXPONA promise
to remind us why hi-fi matters—not as an indulgence for a few, but as a
vibrant, life-enhancing practice that sharpens attention, deepens feeling, and
re-connects us to the simple miracle of sound. The Florida International Audio
Expo, Montreal Audiofest, and AXPONA 2026 events each offer their own flavor of
discovery, but together they form a circuit of listening that celebrates
craftsmanship, curiosity, and the communal joy of music heard well.
--->
Luxury Home Audio Shows Q1 2026 — FIAE, Montreal Audiofest, & AXPONA: Rediscover Hi-Fi Listening.
How Do Audiophiles Attract A Younger Audience?
The high-end audio industry needs to get the new generation
aboard.
Editorial By Alan Sircom
According to science-fiction timelines, 2026 plants us in the middle of several dystopian eras.
We're lodged somewhere between Soylent Green, Highlander II: The Quickening and
Children of Men. So... Happy New Year! In fact, stepping away from international geopolitics and staying in our audio-enthusiast, music-loving lane, things look a lot better. Spotify is rolling out its lossless service to ever more countries, joining Qobuz and Tidal in delivering quality streaming. Meanwhile, LP leads the field in physical formats once more, but reports of
CD's demise are greatly exaggerated, and seeing the re-emergence of tape shows people still love listening to music in any way they can.
We're also seeing improvements in good audio equipment across the board, too. While
it's easy to focus on the big ticket equipment, it's not hard to find outstanding audio products at every price
point. And yet, audio companies keep spouting the same mantra; 'how do we attract a younger
audience?'
---> How Do Audiophiles Attract A Younger
Audience?
The Many Opportunities For Microphones
Microphone categories are evolving and innovating.
Editorial By J. Martins
Have you noticed that voice interfaces and digital assistants are back, thanks to artificial intelligence? And that adaptive audio has gained a whole new meaning thanks to AI? What about transcription, summarization, translation, and other AI-powered features that now expand voice
capture? Voice applications are everywhere, from more widespread communication and conferencing options to voice assistants or simple voice commands expanding to even more product categories. Even automotive is seeing increasing adoption of applications that require the use of more sensors, including microphones for adaptive features and more active control of car acoustics and sound
source. If you have to find a common technology denominator around these trends,
it's easy to identify the preponderant role of microphones. None of those important trends—transversal from consumer to professional and even critical communications—can be realized without one or many microphones being
involved.
---> The Many Opportunities For Microphones.
Passport To Sound: An Invitation To What The Audio Show Can Become
Bringing fun and education to young music lovers and future audiophiles.
Editorial By May Anwar
Every Saturday morning of my childhood began with Beethoven.
The Appassionata Sonata or Symphony No. 5 spilled from my father's turntable at
a volume that stirred my heart before I was fully awake. The turntable sat on a
heavy wooden credenza, its glass lid closed like a museum case. We children
could admire the record collection stored inside but were never allowed to touch
the equipment itself. The system was sacred. Surrounded by music, I assumed I understood it. Years later, I
realized I had only been granted access to listen but had never truly learned
what made a system sound good. When I received my first cassette player as a teenager eager
for independence, I traded quality for freedom and never looked back. By
college, I had forgotten what music was meant to sound like. I listened to
compressed, flattened tracks through cassette players, then MP3 players, and
eventually voice-activated devices that made listening even more casual.
--->
Passport To Sound: An Invitation To What The Audio Show Can Become.
Coming
Soon! Florida International Audio Expo 2026 Show Report
The eighth annual Florida International Audio Expo (FIAE) will convene audiophiles, industry professionals, and music lovers for a
three-day celebration of sound from Friday, February 20 through Sunday, February 22, at the Sheraton Tampa Brandon. The show pairs formal demo rooms with
fun listening lounges so attendees can hear loudspeakers, high-fidelity
audio electronics, turntables, and immersive headphones under realistic conditions, making it a practical venue for
side-by-side comparisons and hands-on auditions. Exhibitor participation is strong, with organizers reporting excellent exhibit spaces that bring together international brands, boutique builders, and regional specialists.
Reporting on every show to date, Enjoy the Music.com continues to
be a valuable resource for the high-end audio industry as we once again
sponsor FIAE. As this is a family event with many affluent young adults
and children attending, Enjoy the Music.com will have a special Passport
to Sound booklet for younger audiophiles. Music lovers will find flagship components and niche products across categories including loudspeakers, amplifiers, turntables, cabling, and headphone systems, while many rooms are staffed by designers and product specialists who can explain technical tradeoffs and setup
tips.
---> Coming Soon! Florida International Audio Expo 2026 Show
Report.
North American Premiere Review!
Gryphon Antileon Revelation Amplifier Review — Dynamics, Detail, & Drive
Class A 160 Wpc power, purity, and the
all-important real-world listening impressions.
Review By Tom Lyle
I read somewhere that I praise
every audio component reviewed for Enjoy the Music.com; after two decades
of listening and testing, I can understand why. Advances in engineering mean
that many review samples—amplifiers, preamplifiers, and loudspeakers—now
deliver exceptional sound quality plus fit and finish. Just taking one look at
the new Gryphon Audio Designs' Antileon Revelation stereo/mono amplifier proves
this point in 2026. That wasn't true when I began covering high-end audio in the
late 1900s, and my blunt critiques back then sometimes led to awkward
conversations with manufacturers and distributors. My aim remains to give clear,
practical assessments of how gear performs in real rooms and systems so readers
can decide whether it's the right match for their setup and budget. However, what matters more than whether I give a component or
loudspeaker system a glowing review is whether it fits one's system, room, and
budget. My job is to clearly describe equipment traits.
--->
Gryphon Antileon Revelation Amplifier Review.
Vitus Audio SIA-025 Mk.II Luxury Hi-Fi Int. Amp — The Definitive Review
A masterful and musically satisfying experience that had me magically mesmerized.
Review By Dr. Matthew Clott
Caveat: Yes, the Vitus Audio
SIA-025 Mk.II solid-state integrated amplifier, as reviewed here, has
been out for many years. So why review it now? Well, for starters, wouldn't you
say yes if you were asked to review it?!? Secondly, I think that with the
introduction of some new similarly-priced integrated amplifiers and a new interest in
truly reference high-end audio performance at this level, it would be irresponsible of us here
at Enjoy the Music.com not to remind you that the new stuff is not always
the best. Sometimes we must look to the established to reinforce what our
references actually are. Thirdly, sometimes a review after a unit has been out
for some time helps to re-evaluate its place in the market as its price matures
with the flow that has represented the high-end audio world in recent years. Vitus Audio's founder, Hans-ole Vitus, fell in love with music
at the ripe old age of 12. That passion developed into a lifelong obsession with
audio perfection as he matured.
--->
Vitus Audio SIA-025 Mk.II Luxury Hi-Fi Int. Amp — The Definitive
Review.
World Premiere Review!
Reaching Into The Life Of Music: Esoteric K-01XD SE SACD / CD Player &
DAC Review
In service to music, and to experiencing a life fully lived.
Review By Dr. Michael Bump
"Practice makes perfect." As with
performing music, audiophilia is a practiced art, defining a very personal
journey through a sequence of inspired choices and construction. Perhaps better
stated, "Practice develops awareness." It is why musicians and audiophiles make
for natural bedfellows. The art of reproducing recorded music at the highest
levels is every bit a practice, fluid through expanding awareness and knowledge,
at once governed by the absolutes of science, yet is subjective to artistic
freedoms and interpretations. Many audiophiles ascribe to a practice of
recreating the live musical moment as faithfully as possible, while others favor
a specific aural character that defines a personal aesthetic. Ultimately, the
jury lies not with the court of public opinion, but with those personal values
honed through enlightenment, education, experience, and preference.
--->
Reaching Into The Life Of Music: Esoteric K-01XD SE SACD / CD Player & DAC
Review.
Pure Power, Pure Pleasure — Pass Laboratories X600.8 Mono Amplifier Review
Quietly powerful, exquisitely precise sound that delivers recording-studio clarity.
Review By Tom Lyle
The Pass Laboratories
X600.8 monoblocks did not simply arrive — they announced themselves. Two Pass Laboratories X600.8
monoblocks for review here at Enjoy the Music.com, each a 123-pound monument of metal and circuitry, crossed my threshold and turned the upstairs listening room into a battleground for gravity. Their bulk filled the doorway, their presence
and proportions, and for a moment the house felt like it had been claimed by something far more serious than furniture.
Furthermore, I needed a little help getting them into
position within my listening room. Besides being quite heavy and quite large (19" x
21.5" x 11" WxDxH), my listening
room is on the top floor of our home. On their website, Pass Labs says that the Pass Laboratories
X600s can "...effortlessly drive the most demanding loudspeakers to musical
nirvana." With 600 Watts under the hood, it should be obvious that these
monoblocks can drive just about any pair of speakers one can think of....
--->
Pure Power, Pure Pleasure — Pass Laboratories X600.8 Mono Amplifier Review.
World Premiere Review!
Furutech GTO-D3 NCF Power Distributor + Origin Power Cord
Review — High-End Audiophile Power Solution
Clean, low-noise power delivery for hi-fi systems; NCF damping and precision-engineered Origin cord for ultimate clarity.
Review By Paul Schumann
One
of the eternal struggles of audiophiles is getting clean power from their AC
outlet. Many have gone to great extremes to get that pure AC sign wave. The most
extreme example is the Japanese audiophile who installed their own power pole
with a transformer in their front yard. At audio shows, I've been blown away by
the size of some power conditioning units, which could easily be mistaken for
power amplifiers. A few months ago, I reviewed an isolation transformer. It
worked great, but it was large, heavy, and I had to take great pains to keep it
out of my wife's line of sight. After that experience, I started looking for a
more elegant solution to power distribution. That's when I landed on the
Furutech gear. A few years ago, I reviewed the
Furutech NCF Clear Line AC Power Line Optimizers
within my system, and I was impressed by how seemingly simple devices could make
such a difference in my system. I always wondered if I could unlock the full
potential of those cool devices by pairing them with other Furutech gear instead
of the generic power strip I've been using for years.
--->
Furutech GTO-D3 NCF Power Distributor + Origin Power Cord Review.
SVS' SB-5000 R|Evolution Will Not Be Televised — It
Will Be Felt!
Deep bass with exceptional musicality, bass speed, and a potent 2000 Watts!
SVS SB-5000 R|Evolution Subwoofer Review By Rick LaFaver
If Santa missed the mark on giving you the gift of deep, room-shaking bass this
year, meet the SVS 5000 R|Evolution SB-5000 sealed subwoofer — the sub that
transforms your music listening experience (it's not only for movie explosions).
Within this review, Enjoy the Music.com tests the SVS SB-5000 active
subwoofer with 2000 Watts from a real-world stereo perspective, showing how a
high-performance subwoofer can do more than boost LFE at 80Hz: it fills the gap
where your speakers naturally roll off, adds authoritative low-end detail, and
restores the rhythm, weight, and physical deep bass connection to your favorite
tracks that have been missing… until now. The SVS subwoofer was tested alongside my reference Vapor
Audio Cirrus loudspeakers and go-to Arte Forma amplifier, aiming for a musical,
real-world setup. I tried the preamplifier output so the SVS could receive
a full stereo analog feed and make the most of its 295 Hz Analog Devices DSP and
the SVS app's fine-tuning.
--->
SVS SB-5000 R|Evolution Active DSP Subwoofer Review.
World Premiere Review!
Loth-X's Silbatone C-102
Pre-Amplifier Review
A Battery Of Brilliance!
Review y Steven R. Rochlin
The world of Super Audio
Exotica is filled with legendary products. While some, like Quad loudspeakers,
are of modest pricing, there are others that have prices equal to dreamy Italian
sports cars. As someone who has enjoyed for years the Audio Note Ongaku (reaching retail
pricing of near $70,000) there are music reproduction experiences few people
have a chance to enjoy. In today's marketplace of high prices only for the sake
of "shock" marketing and press coverage, it can be confusing to separate the wheat from
the chaff. A responsible reviewer would forgo the marketing hype to find the true
ultrahigh-performance products. This brings us to the very unique and amazing
$30,000 Loth-X Silbatone C-102 vacuum tube pre-amplifier. The name Silbatone is their belief in that silver conductors
(SIL),
batteries (BA), and good tome (TONE) are
a must if one is to achieve the highest of resolution. As for the silver aspect,
technically copper is a
great conductor, though it is indeed eclipsed by silver.
---> Loth-X's Silbatone C-102 Pre-Amplifier Review.
Sonos Multi-Room Music System
Review
Great sound and ease of use within a
homewide audio system.
Review By Steven R. Rochlin
So you wanna setup a homewide music
distribution system yet are not sure which way to go. You love music and want to
have it streamed throughout your humble abode so you can jam out in your living room, home office, and of course in the bathroom while showering.
Then there is the bedroom, though let us keep this article PG-rated shall we? Join the
club my friends as there are so many hardware choices with a staggering array of
software features that it can easily
become confusing. Sure you could get the Logitech Slim Devices Squeezebox
(version 3
and Bolder Cable modded Squeezebox 2) for cheap thrills. Then there is the ultra-expensive Sooloos that
is priced for those with, how shall we say this, for those who take their chauffeur-driven
Rolls-Royce to the store on Rodeo drive. More show than go, yet looks mighty
impressive. Naturally there are many other types of
homewide distribution system to choose from, yet after exhaustive research my
choice was to give a go at the Sonos system.
---> Sonos Multi-Room Music System Review.
GIK 4A Alpha Panel Diffusors
Review
One of the best values to treating any good listening room.
Review By Rick LaFaver
I have always been a staunch advocate of adding room acoustic devices as an integral part of any high quality sound system. That is unless you listen within an anechoic chamber or a padded cell. There are many different ways to handle standing waves whether it is DSP, diffusion, wide spectrum, or narrow spectrum absorption.
GIK 4A Alpha Panel Diffusors are a great way to improve your listening room and
here's why: Two of the most important elements in creating the foundation of any great listening room are choosing a world class speaker and an acoustic treatment plan that tames any anomalies in your room of choice. I have used a blend primarily absorption with limited diffusion in my space for many years by using four GIK 244 Bass traps to deal with the rear wave from my speakers. In addition, they are either in two corners that tend to store a lot of energy or at first reflection point on the side walls (when I have my system setup along the short wall of my
room).
--->
GIK 4A Alpha Panel Diffusors Review.
Black Cat Graceline Level-2 Interconnect & Speaker Cable
Review
Worth every freaking penny because your system will appreciate it.
Review By Tom Lyle
In March of
2019, I reviewed Black Cat's 3200 interconnect, speaker, and digital cable in Enjoy
the Music.com. I was very impressed by these relatively affordable cables. The
Graceline (by Black Cat Cable) Level-2 interconnects and speaker cables reviewed
here are a considerable step up from those cables in sound quality. In case one might not have heard of Black Cat cables, and even
if you have, I strongly suggest one read the "We
Ask 10 Questions..." interview with Chris Sommovigo, which appeared in
November 2020's issue as part of the celebration
of Enjoy The Music's 25th Anniversary. In this interview, I learned
that Mr. Sommovigo is a very knowledgeable, level-headed designer and inventor.
Some of his cables were very sonically successful, such as his digital cable, of
which he sold several of his designs to Kimber Kable. I'll skip the bulk of the
history of Black Cat and what led to the development of the Graceline Level 2
interconnect and speaker cable because a good deal of it is covered in the
"...10 Questions..." interview, which again, I suggest one read if one
hasn't already done so.
--->
Black Cat Graceline Level-2 Interconnect & Speaker Cable Review.
The Intro
Editorial By Art Dudley
Until eight or nine months ago, Listener
Magazine rented office space U on the second floor of what used to be the Oddfellows Hall in Oneonta, New York. Our two rooms were toward the back of the building, right next to a spacious and well-equipped
kitchen. judging from what we found in the building, hot meals were a key part of every Oddfellows meeting, along with a thoroughly bizarre ceremony involving elderly men dressed like David and Goliath and a skeleton in a black cardboard coffin.
(And thus evaporated all mystery surrounding the group's name.) The important thing here is the kitchen, in which we kept a
coffeemaker. One day it was my turn to wash it. I had been rinsing the carafe under running water for several minutes when I recognized a sound: Someone was speaking to me, and apparently had been for several minutes. I turned off the tap and there was my then-assistant, Kim Harmer, gabbing away in my direction. I stopped, smiled, and told her I hadn't heard a single word she'd said. Kim started over from the top.
---> The Intro Editorial By Art Dudley.
At The Edge Of Science
The sonic explorations of Kondo-san.
Article By Joe Roberts
Audio experimenters have uncovered many
gaps in the models textbook science brings to bear on electro-acoustical phenomena.
This can be a source of bafflement and embarrassment to authorities in the field, but
our ears have proven their value as a most subtle evaluation device - one which hears
things that can't be there. Many scientists take the comfortable and logical way out
and deny the possibility of unmeasurable "new" audio phenomena. For example, in the Spring 1991 issue of The Skeptical Inquirer, Fred E. Davis gave
us "Hi-Fi Audio Pseudoscience," an article committing cables, AC cords and
conditioners, CD treatments, and novel uses for digital clocks to the shady realms of mysticism
and the powers of suggestion. He doesn't claim to have done much listening. Surely
not worth the trouble based on mathematical models. Yet most of this study was based on "skimming through three or four
audio magazines." Very rigorous method indeed!
---> At The Edge Of Science.
Acoustical QUAD
The original QUAD components were introduced around 1954...
Article By Dan Schmalle From VALVE
This month's demo is a very special one. Through the generosity of Eric and Dave we
will audition what is to many vintage buffs the ne plus ultra of vintage high fidelity systems,
an entire QUAD system. It will be composed of the QUAD FM Tuner, QUAD Multiplex Decoder, QUAD 22 Control
Unit, two Quad II Power Amplifiers and two QUAD ESLs. All of these components are in very nice
shape and will be set up as originally intended right down to the KT-66 output
tubes. Acoustical Manufacturing Company, makers of the Quality Amplifier for Domestic use,
was started by Peter J. Walker in London in the late 1930's. The original QUAD components were introduced around 1954. At
the time the loudspeakers, while revolutionary in their construction and accuracy, were rather poorly
received in an era of horn speakers with giant sized bass response. A very interesting
interview of Peter Walker can be found in The Audio Amateur, 3/1978. I won't rehash the entire article
here (we do have it in the library), but a few select plums from the article help to explain the design
philosophy....
---> Acoustical
QUAD.
The Audio Analyst's 100th Video!
Our Senior Editor, Greg Weaver, reaches triple digit videos!
Video By
Greg Weaver
This marks the one-hundredth episode of my channel... and so many things have changed since its launch. Join me in celebrating what
we've accomplished, and to see where things are headed over the next six months and
beyond. It has been just over one year since I retired from the world of IT Management and refocused all my efforts on my pursuit and enjoyment of my audio passions. I am incredibly pleased to say that at this point, the channel has built a particularly specific and faithful audience and has received some remarkable feedback and
support. Further, my video production has changed, some feel for the better, and while I had semi-retired my martini, the response to the survey strongly supported its return. I heard you all, and it will.
---> The Audio Analyst's 100th
Video!
On the Road Again: Featuring Greg Weaver's Home Audio System
The New Apartment Lounge's Maurice Jeffries visits the Audio Analyst at home for the third time.
Report By Maurice Jeffries
What
would we do without the much beloved road trip? The promise of exploring parts
known, and better yet completely unknown, especially in the wake of the Covid
Pandemic, strikes many like as perfect balm to months of virus-driven isolation.
So, when my dear friend and fellow audio miscreant, Greg Weaver (known to many
of you as the audio analyst, famous for his scrupulously detailed show reports
and recent highly informative and entertaining foray into the fractious world of
YouTube audio reporting), teased with the promise to hear a tantalizing array of
new gear, to tussle with a new puppy (a 100 lbs. Great Dane named Stella), and
most importantly, to reconnect face-to-face, I leapt into action.
--->
Featuring Greg Weaver's Home Audio System.
PureAudioProject Duet 15 Loudspeaker Review
A benchmark performance open baffle loudspeaker.
Review By Dr. Jules Coleman
Featuring the
extraordinary Voxativ Pife full range driver mated to a comparably fast 15"
woofer, the PureAudioProject (PAP) Duet 15 offers the listener an unrivaled,
relaxed, unhurried, yet fully resolved natural and immediate musical experience
that box speakers, for the most part, can only dream of providing, and one that
competitor open baffle designs will struggle, most likely with only limited
success, to equal. These speakers are unassuming, seductive, and enthralling. I
found myself unable to resist falling into the music's awaiting arms for the
better part of the several months I was fortunate enough to have them in my
home. The term 'open baffle' is vague. The standard design consists of a single baffle (think of the 'front baffle' of an enclosed speaker) on which one or more drivers are affixed. All open baffle speakers produced by PureAudioProject are of this sort.
---> PureAudioProject Duet 15 Loudspeaker
Review.
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