August
2024
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.
Don't Just Throw Money At It!
How to really get better sound from your system.
Article
By Roger Skoff
Many
years ago, I was invited by a hi-fi dealer in a very wealthy community to come
and speak to the Hi-Fi Club that held its monthly meetings at his store. The
dealer carried what was, for its time, very good stuff – Avalon speakers,
Jadis electronics, Goldmund turntables, Koetsu phono cartridges – all good and
all very pricey – and most of the club members had and enjoyed systems made up
of the best of his products. I spoke to the group for about an hour and, when
I was done, I opened the floor for questions and was surprised to hear this
owner of very costly and very sophisticated gear ask questions that I would have
expected to hear, not from them but a group of novices – or even people who
had had no exposure to High-End Audio at all. Another time, I was invited to speak in the
Philippines to the members of the top local Hi-Fi Club....
---> Don't Just Throw Money At
It!
Professional Musician And Recording Studio Expert Rick Beato Speaks
Music lovers, audiophiles, and the world need to realize the music business....
Editorial By Steven R. Rochlin / Videos By Rick Beato
As a classically-trained musician since the early 1970s (at the age of 8), over the
decades questions about why I walked away from the music scene decades ago
occasionally pop up. During high
school there was a touch of studio time, and here is where my eyes were open to
the reality of recording music. As a percussionist and drummer, yes my set was a
bit more expansive than the average, yet within my head were tones, textures,
and sounds... upon seeing my percussion/drum set was immediately bumping up
against recording studio effort and time (and their desire to properly mic up such a kit).
Sadly, the apparent lack of concern, with one studio then saying I should just
use their kit within a small boxed room and dead / lifeless drum heads. Am recalling this story not for any ego or other
overly-inflated.... Yet to let musicians nowadays know, am talking about true musical
artists who have a vision... you intrinsically know who you are.
---> Professional Musician And Recording Studio Expert Rick Beato
Speaks.
Tidal Drops MQA And Sony 360
Reality Audio
Congratulations to the many winners of our contests!
Editorial By Alan Sircom
As we went to press this month, streaming giant Tidal announced that it was officially dropping all its MQA and 360 Audio recordings as from the 24th July this year. These recordings will be replaced with FLAC files (for stereo) and Dolby Atmos files (for surround). While there are still some hold-outs, this announcement has been touted as being the end of MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) as a going concern for music
replay. Or is it? Recently, Lenbrook (the parent company of NAD,
BluSound, and PSB) acquired MQA in late 2023. It has now joined forces with HD Tracks to provide its own MQA (and PCM) streaming service. Less than six days after the Lenbrook/HD Tracks press release, Tidal announced that it was withdrawing its support for MQA. While Tidal and HD Tracks have very different business models, I can see this as a potential lifeline for the beleaguered MQA
format.
---> Tidal Drops MQA And Sony 360 Reality Audio.
Generating Sound
Automotive industry leverages noise reduction, active acoustics, and sound generation.
Editorial By J. Martins
The audio industry is truly fascinating for the wide variety of perspectives and disciplines that ultimately converge around the same phenomenon that is sound. At
audioXpress we address this from a broad perspective of the many applications of audio technologies, products, and market segments, from consumer to professional applications, from recording and reproduction, creation and manipulation, simulation and auralization. While sound is inherently associated with noise, vibration, hearing, perception... and
acoustics. As we never get tired of saying, acoustic science is where everything starts, determining how sound and audio systems behave in practice. Acoustics is an integral part of
audioXpress' mission, together with every other critical discipline in audio development and product
design. In our mission to truly reflect the evolution of audio technology I personally attend events dedicated to many of these disciplines of audio and respective application segments.
---> Generating Sound.
Siltech Launches Master Crown Cables
New flagship from Holland's premiere cable manufacturer.
Launch Event Coverage By Greg Weaver
Siltech
recently launched a new, flagship series of audio cables called Master Crown. As
with everything they do, the launch would be a first-class event. With the help
of US Siltech distributor, Monarch Systems, based in Englewood, CO, a press
event was held Friday, June 20th to introduce and demonstrate the advantages of
this new product to the audio press. Monarch Systems was founded by two audio industry veterans,
Jon Baker and Rich Maez, and with the assistance of their Marketing Manager,
Jaclyn Schnirring, they played host to seven members of the press in a spacious,
beautiful home in the gated community of Las Campanas, to the west of the heart
of old Santa Fe, at a location they call La Casita. We were also honored
to be joined by Siltech's own engaging, conversant, and well-informed Gaby
Rynveld, who led much of the day's ceremonies.
--->
Siltech Launches Master Crown Cables.
TAD Evolution C1000 Preamplifier And M1000 Power Amplifier Review
Two top-notch solid-state components.
Review By Tom Lyle
TAD (Technical Audio Devices) is a high-end
audio manufacturer based in Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of the sizable mass-market
audio manufacturer Pioneer. Although Pioneer produces some fine, mostly
affordable gear, TAD works independently of Pioneer, designing and manufacturing
much more upscale high-end audio products. In 1975, the Tokyo-based Pioneer
Corporation began TAD to develop high-end speakers for professional use. In
2007, TAD became an independent subsidiary of Pioneer and has been designing and
manufacturing all types of high-end audio products primarily focusing on
speakers and amplifiers for home use. Previously, my only experience reviewing TAD products was two
years ago, when I reviewed their $20,000 Evolution Two (TAD-E2) floor-standing
speakers. These 2.5-way speakers impressed me both in their visual appearance
and sound quality.
--->
TAD Evolution C1000 Preamplifier And M1000 Power Amplifier Review.
Audience ClairAudient 1+1 V5 Personal Reference Monitor Review
The little engine that can.
Review By Dr. Michael Bump
Audience
President and CEO, John McDonald, is among those exceptional members of the
professional audiophile community who serve all consumer interests with quiet
equity, succinctly, non-judgmentally, and with knowledgeable authority. His
years of innovative experiences designing fine audio products have nurtured a
wellspring of advice on a variety of high-end audio topics. Above all and simply
stated, John is an exceptional individual any of us would consider fortunate to
have in our life circle. A perusal of the Audience
website offers an excellently-mapped library of not only the
comprehensive offerings of high-level Audience audio products, including cables,
power cords, power conditioners, OEM and DIY parts, accessories, and pro audio,
but also supportive pages on available upgrades, product/industry news, media
coverage (incl. published reviews/awards), as well as an extensive listing of
international dealers/distributors.
--->
Audience ClairAudient 1+1 V5 Personal Reference Monitor Review.
World Premiere Review!
Merrill Audio Element 110 Monoblock Power Amplifier Review
A significant accomplishment!
Review By Tom Lyle
I would understand if some readers of Enjoy the Music.com assumed that I
was in cahoots with the high-end audio company Merrill Audio. This is my fifth
review of a Merrill Audio component. Within the April 2015 issue I reviewed Merrill
Audio's Thor monoblock power amplifiers and, also that year, Merrill's
Taranis power amps. In 2017, I reviewed Merrill's outstanding Christine
Reference preamplifier. Then, in 2018, I reviewed their mighty 118
monoblock power amplifiers. I have reviewed many of Merrill Audio's products
because their headquarters are about twenty miles from my home. The owner of
Merrill Audio, Merrill Wettasinghe, has hand-delivered each review component
I've reviewed. While he is here, and because Mr. Wettasinghe and I are both
audiophiles and music lovers, we often listen to some music after setting up the
equipment. Afterward, we frequently get something to eat at a local eatery. Does our professional friendship influence my
reviews of Merrill Audio's high-end audio equipment?
--->
Merrill Audio Element 110 Monoblock Power Amplifier Review.
World Premiere Review!
Synergistic Research PowerCell 8 SX Review
Pushing your sound system to the next level with innovative technology.
Review By Rick Becker
After catching more than 48 gigs during the nine-day 21st
Rochester International Jazz Festival, I rode home after the final show with the
sound of live music etched in my mind. The Brubeck Bros. had been scheduled for
Kilbourn Hall, an acoustically rich 444-seat performance hall at the Eastman
School of Music, but heavy rains overnight and during the day resulted in
buckets spread throughout the hall to catch nature's dribbles. It was
rescheduled for Kodak Hall, the main venue at the Eastman Theater with enough
seats for everyone who wished to be there. I sat reasonably close, maybe 8 rows
back in the center to catch a mix of the Steinway piano, the drums, the electric
bass, and the electric guitar. Splendid. And easy to hear why this venue is used
for the premium Headliner performances at JazzFest and the Rochester
Philharmonic Orchestra the rest of the year. I typically buy a JazzPass,
allowing me to attend as many performances as I wish among the multiple smaller
venues. Fast footwork and careful pre-planning helped me maximize this annual
music festival.
--->
Synergistic Research PowerCell 8 SX Review.
World Premiere Review!
Volti Audio Lucera Hybrid Horn / Bass-Reflex Loudspeaker Review
Taking a deep dive into the aural matrix.
Review By Paul Schumann
What
do I really want out of this hobby? I'm sure all of us have asked that question. We
start by listening to music we love on a system we possess. Then we hear that
music on a better system and notice things we'd never heard before. That lights
a fire in our belly. How can I hear that at home? We talk to other people,
listen to other systems, and realize that not everyone hears the same things as
we do. Then, we have that aha moment when we hear a system that touches our
inner child. That happened to me when Dr. Day plopped me down in front of his
homebrew SET system driving a pair of Altec A7s. From then on, I knew exactly
what I wanted. The next question became, how am I going to get
there? Dr. Day spent years listening and soldering to get what tickled his
fancy. My sensei David is on a similar journey. The late Sakuma built different
systems to listen to various kinds of music. For all three of these seekers, the
cornerstone of their quest was high efficiency-speakers.
--->
Volti Audio Lucera Hybrid Horn / Bass-Reflex Loudspeaker Review.
World Premiere Review!
Raven Audio Osprey MK3.1 Integrated Amplifier
And Corvus Reference Monitors Review
Classic designs refined.
Review By Paul Schumann
I grew up
listening to music through my dad's Dynaco ST70. My Dad was a DIY guy; it was
the best kit available in 1960. I inherited it and the matching PAS preamp my
sophomore year of college. I then bought a pair of ADS L620 speakers to go with
them. That kept me happy for 20 years. I eventually replaced my ailing Dynaco
gear with a Jolida JD202 integrated. The Dynaco and Jolida were very similar,
using EL34 pentodes in an ultra-linear configuration. A little later, the ADS
speakers made way for the Thiel CS1.5s. These were both two-way bass-reflex
speakers. In the last few years, my interest in lower-power amps and
high-efficiency speakers has led me away from the pairings I had so long, but I
will always have warm memories of listening to music with them. While attending the inaugural Southwest Audio Fest, I took
an interest in the Raptor horn speakers I heard in the Raven Audio room. About
one week after the show, I reached out to Dave Thompson of Raven to make
arrangements for a review. Dave put me in touch with James Connell.
--->
Raven Audio Osprey MK3.1 Integrated Amplifier And Corvus Reference Monitors Review.
World Premiere Review!
Backert Labs Rhumba Extreme 1.4 Preamplifier Review
An outstanding preamplifier with excellent connectivity for the music lover who desires
more.
Review By Rick Becker
Backert
Labs has seemingly come out of nowhere. Their first review appeared in 2015 and Enjoy
the Music.com reviewed the 1.3 version of the Rhumba Extreme in 2019. This
micro-manufacturer specializes in tube-powered preamplifiers, with a tube phono
stage being a logical extension of their focus. All of their manufacturing and
assembly is done in the USA. I had heard the buzz on the brand only one other
time before my audio buddy, Tom, informed me that he had ordered a Rhumba 1.2 on
US Audiomart that had been upgraded to a 1.3. Listening to his familiar system,
I noticed an impressive improvement. When the 1.4 series was announced I
contacted Andy Tebbe, the President and frontman of the company, and was
promised a premiere review when the design was finalized. I waited, and waited, until finally, I met Andy at the Capital
Audiofest. He explained that Bob Backert, the designer and CEO of this company
kept coming up with incremental improvements that slowed final release.
--->
Backert Labs Rhumba Extreme 1.4 Preamplifier Review.
World Premiere Review!
Class D Audio Mini GaN 3 Amplifier Review
It is a great amplifier at an amazing price!
Review By Paul Schumann
I am a
science teacher by vocation. One of the things I love teaching is the history of
the periodic table. In 1871, Dmitri Mendeleev published his first version of his
periodic table. One of the key features of his table was the blanks he left for
elements that had yet to be discovered. Two of the elements he predicted were
eka aluminum and eka silicon. They were in the spaces directly above Al and Si.
In 1875, eka aluminum was discovered spectroscopically and isolated by the
French chemist Paul-ÉmileLecoq de Boisbaudran. The fact that Mendeleev had
predicted it grabbed the attention of chemists worldwide and paved the way for
the acceptance of his table. Lecoq named the new element gallium. Gallium is cool because it will melt in your hand. But an
even cooler property of gallium is when it is chemically bonded to nitrogen to
make gallium nitride, it can be used to make semiconductors well-suited for
high-power transistors. The use of these GaN transistors in high-end audio has
gained popularity in just the last few years.
--->
Class D Audio Mini GaN 3 Amplifier Review.
World Premiere Review!
Gold Note A6 Evo II Full-Range Loudspeaker
Review
Setting the Gold Standard.
Review By Dr. Michael Bump
The premium high-performance audio / exotic race car analogy
is a more-than-common theme among audiophiles, industry, and media. There are
even borrowings from open-wheel / Formula car racing designs that have found
their way into premium audio designs (a.k.a. high-end audio). I recall Michael
Borresen referencing speaker driver materials and build concepts borrowed from
Formula 1 body materials for their strength, weight, and mobility. Luxurious
premium audio and exotic racing sports are kindred spirits, I suspect largely in
that they share a passion for high art in engineering precision, performance,
and mechanical beauty (many audio shows are sure to exhibit this relationship in
some form). As a professional musician and professor of music, I find the
thread of this kindred spirit interesting as it applies to Italian music
history.
--->
Gold Note A6 Evo II Full-Range Loudspeaker Review.
FiiO M15S Desktop / Portable Hi-Res Lossless Music Player Review
FiiO's M15S and FH9 have incredible synergy and represent an ideal portable listening
experience.
Review By Gary Alan Barker
Until I received my FiiO R7 Music Server my go-to
player to burn in headphones or to act as a digital source for DAC reviews
(computers tend to be noisy over USB) has been my trusty FiiO M11 DAP (while
the FiiO M11 Plus LTD offers some advantages, it also sucks up a lot
of power), but FiiO is not a company to rest long, always pushing the envelope
and developing new and better players, and in this vein is their new FiiO M15S
Desktop/Portable Hi-Res Lossless Music Player. Slightly larger and with an
almost half-inch larger display, the M15S boasts an eight-channel DAC and over twice
the power output and includes a desktop dock with a built-in cooling fan. Some of the things that set the FiiO M15S Desktop/Portable
Hi-Res Lossless Music Player apart from the pack beyond the FiiO DK3S dock, are
the Dual Power Supply Mode, the Five Gain Levels, Six Operating Modes....
--->
FiiO M15S Desktop / Portable Hi-Res Lossless Music Player Review.
World Premiere Review!
Audio Note UK M2 Linestage / Preamplifier And Conqueror Power Amplifier Review
Taking the road less traveled.
Review By Paul Schumann
Hi-fi
audio emerged in the 1950s with the introduction of the LP record. As the
business evolved and stereo became the norm, acoustic suspension speakers gained
popularity due to their smaller footprint in the family room. What followed
after that can be called an arms race between audio manufacturers to build more
powerful amplifiers. This continued as hi-fi became high-end audio. It was not
uncommon to see on the pages of print magazines reviewing amplifiers rated at
400 Watts per channel or more. But not all music lovers were following this path. While the
audio business was trending towards the more powerful tube and solid-state amps,
an underground movement in Japan was extolling the virtues of the old
low-powered Western Electric amps when paired with speakers of the same vintage.
--->
Audio Note UK M2 Linestage / Preamplifier And Conqueror Power Amplifier Review.
Volti Audio Razz LE Loudspeaker Review
Sometimes good things come in large packages.
Review By Ron Nagle
A buzzing bell sound sends me to my front door. Outside two large boxes hide a
sweaty, smallish UPS delivery man. I can see a faint smile cross his face as he
tells me, "My father wanted me to be a doctor." Now I have two mini monoliths inside my front door. The boxes each weigh about
97 pounds and stand five feet tall. I can see my significant other giving me the
look that means, I've been bad. I'm thinking, don't get your knickers in a
twist, I can handle this. I downloaded the unpacking instructions. And using the
instructions as a guide I peeled away the three cardboard boxes that held the
speakers. This unpacking thing is a job for two people and four hands. Volti Audio is a brilliant creation by loudspeaker engineer
Greg Roberts. He seems to be the CEO, CFO, Chief Designer, the guy who sweeps
the floor and sends out for pizza.
---> Volti Audio Razz LE Loudspeaker
Review.
World Premiere Review!
LampizatOr Horizon DAC Review
A new benchmark!
Review By Greg Weaver
My history, and fascination, with Łukasz Fikus and
his Poland-based LampizatOr heralds back to my first exposure to the Golden Gate's
introduction at AXPONA 2015. It may be significant to point out that this timing
is eerily coincident with my choice to begin to more deeply explore the validity
of digital audio as a source. To that point, in my system, digital file playback
had shown no real ability to favorably compete with my analog reference system,
sonically or with the breadth and depth of my LP collection. Keep in mind,
Norway's Tidal, the first music streaming service to offer at least Redbook CD
quality streaming had just launched in the US that previous October, and – I
was not an early adopter.
--->
LampizatOr Horizon DAC Review.
World Premiere Review!
Crystal Cable Micro Diamond Series 2 Interconnect,
Loudspeaker, Power, And USB Cable Review
Beautifully well-made cables that are sonically invisible.
Review By Tom Lyle
Crystal
Cable describes their Micro Diamond Series 2 as an "affordable" (my
quotes) line of cables that enables them to "offer Crystal Cable's core
values at a more modest price." Before reading anything about these cables,
I installed all the Micro Diamond Series 2 cables I was sent for review into my
system, including both XLR and RCA terminated interconnects, their power cords,
speaker cable, and even their USB cable that I used to connect my computer-based
music server to my system's DAC. These cables looked unlike any other high-end audio cable I've
ever used. The diameter of these Crystal Cable products was very narrow, at
least when compared to my references. So, for example, rather than a speaker
cable with the diameter of a garden hose, the Crystal Cable Micro Diamond Series
2 speaker cable was as thin and flexible....
--->
Crystal Cable Micro Diamond Series 2 Interconnect, Loudspeaker, Power, And USB Cable
Review.
Pass Labs X260.8 Monoblock Amplifier Review
Prestigious power, glorious grace, and terrific transparency.
Review By
Dwayne Carter
Pass Laboratories, Inc., is a name that most audiophiles
utter, after describing a product that comes close to perfection. "XXX
amplifier almost sounds as good as the Pass Labs XXX model". We've
all done it. Fortunately, "as good as" will have to wait. Thanks to the good
people at Pass Laboratories; I get the real thing. As the world was on pause, my
listening room entertained a pair of Pass Labs X260.8 monoblock amplifiers. In full disclosure, I would like to admit that I have been a
fan of Pass Labs products for many years. I've never owned or reviewed any of
their products, so I was looking forward to this delivery.... The Pass Labs X260.8 monoblock amplifiers require two people to
move. I know most amplifier manufacturers recommend this, but this is the first
time I heeded their recommendation. Luckily, my good friend Michael was able to
help me wrestle these beasts into place.
--->
Pass Labs X260.8 Monoblock Amplifier Review.
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