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September
Special Blue Note Awards Issue!
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.
Best Of 2023 Blue Note Equipment Awards
Enjoy the Music.com celebrates the best high
fidelity audio gear of 2023!
Enjoy the Music.com's
Best Of 2023 Blue Note Awards celebrates the many great achievements
by audiophile manufacturers within the high-end audio and Hi-Res Audio industry. Our
2023
Blue Note Awards is a culmination of more than two decades of reviewing and carefully
choosing what products have earned special recognition for our annual awards. Our Best Of
2023 Blue Note Award celebrates the finest products we have reviewed during the
previous 12 months. Recipients have
been carefully chosen after much debate and consideration by our staff of
reviewers. With each passing
year our industry has experienced great advancements in technology including analog
circuitry, vinyl LP and analog tape playback, digital-to-analog
converters (DACs), headphones, loudspeaker design, plus of course portable media
players, computer software, streaming media, and more.
---> Best Of 2023 Blue Note Equipment Awards.
Making It Good, Getting It Great
A mystery of product design.
Article
By Roger Skoff
When I bought my first pair of Acoustat Model 1+1
electrostatic speakers (I now have three pairs ) they sounded so bad that I
called their designer, Jim Strickland, told him that I must have gotten a
defective pair, and demanded that he either replace them or give me my money
back. The sound was so awful – no bass, no treble, no volume –
that my first thought was to compare them to a shirt-pocket transistor radio,
but even that was too generous: They sounded just plain bad, and that came as a
total surprise to me. I mean, it wasn't as if I had bought them completely
unheard: The truth was exactly the opposite. About a month before I bought them, I had been to Christopher
Hansen's hi-fi shop in Beverly Hills and auditioned the then-newly-released,
Apogee ribbon speakers (which, if I recall correctly, didn't yet even have a
model name).
---> Making It Good, Getting It Great.
Aavik Acoustics System Review
High-end audio equipment is made by those who love music.
Review By Tom Lyle
Aavik S-280 Streamer, U-280 Unity Integrated Amp with built-in DAC, Ansuz Acoustics Mainz8 A2 AC Power Distribution Bar, Mainz8 A2 AC Ansuz Power Cords, Speakz Speaker Cables, Digitalz Ethernet Cable, PowerSwitch A2 Ethernet Switch,
Darkz C2t, Resonance Control Devices, and Titanium Balls for Ansuz Acoustics Darkz C2t.
The
subjects of this review feature components and accessories from two of the three
brands designed and manufactured by The Audio Group Denmark, which acts as an
umbrella company for Aavik Acoustics, Ansuz Acoustics, and Břrresen Acoustics.
The company was started by two Danes, Lars Kristensen, and Michael Břrresen,
who first met more than 20 years ago. Aavik Acoustics designs and manufactures many types of
high-end audio components, such as amplifiers, DACs, phono stages, and
streamers. Ansuz Acoustics products consist of what most audiophiles would call
high-end audio accessories, cables, power distribution, streaming accessories,
and resonance control devices.
---> Aavik Acoustics System Review.
Alsyvox Audio Design Botticelli X
Loudspeaker Review
Planar dynamics redefined.
Review By Greg Weaver
The first week of September last year brought a highly
rewarding conclusion to an audio quest that was more than five years in the
making. Since my very first exposure to the Alsyvox Audio Design Botticelli
full-range ribbon loudspeaker — back in May of 2017 in Munich, it has been my
goal to spend some serious time in front of these gorgeous and utterly
remarkable sounding loudspeakers. I was first introduced to the seductive voice of these
remarkable Spanish planar dynamic loudspeakers at the 2017 "apostate" HiFiDeluxe
audio show held at the Marriott München. Just a ten-minute drive south, and
slightly west, of the Munich Order Center, home to the annual "High-End Munich",
the largest annual audio show on earth, this "overflow" audio event runs
coincident with the larger, more established event every year.
--->
Alsyvox Audio Design Botticelli X Loudspeaker Review.
Audience Hidden Treasure In-Wall AC PowerCable
And High Definition Wall Receptacle Review
Like a buried treasure that pays huge dividends in musical enjoyment!
Review By Rick Becker
If you're
reading this review, you're either considering the installation of a dedicated
line in what is likely your dedicated listening room or perhaps your home
theater... or maybe the video rig in your family room if you're seriously into
watching TV. Or possibly, you've already installed a line and are wondering if
this new Audience cable might be a worthwhile upgrade. In any case, I suspect
you're already convinced that "everything matters" in high-end audio, especially
cables. Keep reading. Audience is one of the most respected cable manufacturers and
my ears perked up when I saw the ad for their new In-Wall AC cable. It's been 20
years since I reviewed Joe Skubinski's JPS Labs Power AC In-Wall cable.
He's sold miles of it and "Big Red" has remained my reference dedicated line
ever since. What's taken so long for the competition to arise?
--->
Audience Hidden Treasure In-Wall AC PowerCable And High Definition Wall Receptacle 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.
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.
Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems Progression S350 Stereo Power Amplifier Review
The Dan D'Agostino S350 amplifier makes each musical selection sound spectacular!
Review By Tom Lyle
Dan D'Agostino Master Audio
products are not the most expensive audio components on the market, but in my
opinion, their audio products are some of the best sounding high-end
audio components I've ever had the pleasure of auditioning. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to review two
D'Agostino Master Audio components in the past. In 2017, I reviewed the
excellent-sounding Momentum
Lifestyle integrated amplifier, which had an onboard DAC and could also
be used as a streamer with its front-panel LCD metadata display. Also in 2017, I
reviewed D'Agostino
Master Audio System's Momentum phono stage, which I was highly impressed
with its outstanding sound quality and very user-friendly front panel controls.
--->
Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems Progression S350 Stereo Power Amplifier Review.
FiiO R7 Desktop Digital Music Streamer, Preamplifier, And Headphone
Amplifier Review
A superb DAC, streamer, preamplifier, and headamp designed for music lovers.
Review By Steven R. Rochlin
When FiiO
sent me an e-mail showcasing their new R7 desktop stereo music streamer,
preamplifier, and headphone amplifier it was perfectly timed. As a longtime
classically-trained musician, I've been using a slightly 'outdated' source unit to
stream music to play along to tunes. This could be via headphones/IEM or through
a stereo pair of QSC KS10.2 mains and KS112 subwoofers thanks to the R7's true
balanced XLR outputs. In addition, this is a relatively portable piece of gear, which means
when it wasn't being used for the percussion / drum set, it was easy to bring it
into my home audio system or use it as a dedicated desktop headphone amplifier when
tinkering with mechanical timepieces upstairs within my workshop.
--->
FiiO R7 Desktop Digital Music Streamer, Preamplifier, And Headphone Amplifier 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.
LessLoss BlackGround 10X Power Base Review
A breakthrough technology that minimizes ambient
EMI in the listening environment with stunning results.
Review By Rick Becker
Louis Motek
is a scientist who thinks about electricity beyond the wire. He's up there in
that class of audio savants with Ted Denny of Synergistic Research, the late
Jack Bybee, Rick Schultz of the former High Fidelity Cables, and likely a few
others. A look at his website will tell you a lot about him. To call him an
engineer borders on insult, but he's one of those, too. He works with an actual
electrical engineer at LessLoss, Vilmantas "Vil" Duda, who presumably keeps
Louis from violating any laws of physics. Like other innovators in high-end
audio, Louis has developed a legion of followers. One of them in Germany is
responsible for tuning me into LessLoss. I was grateful for the opportunity to review
his Firewall 640X, Firewall for Loudspeakers, Entropic C-MARC Power Cord, and
Bindbreaker footers back in March 2022.
--->
LessLoss BlackGround 10X Power Base Review.
Marten Parker Trio Diamond Edition Floorstanding Speaker Review
An amazing ability to separate each of the instruments and vocals in the soundscape.
Review By
Tom Lyle
Marten
speakers are designed and built in Sweden. Leif Marten Olofsson founded the
company in 1998. Marten is now run by Leif Marten and his brothers, Jorgen and
Lars Olofsson. Marten designs and manufactures five lines of speakers, all named
to earn points from me; that is, they are named after American jazz musicians -
Coltrane, Mingus, Parker, and Oscar. The fifth series is the Heritage Series,
which has the sub-series Bird, Getz, Miles, and Duke. The Marten Parker Trio is a floor-standing
speaker situated in the middle of the Parker series offerings. On its front
baffle, it has two 7.5-inch ceramic bass/midrange drivers and a 1-inch
"pure" ceramic tweeter, which in this model has been upgraded to
diamond. Besides having a diamond tweeter, the upgrade to Marten's Parker Trio
Diamond Edition floorstander also has upgraded crossover components, improved
speaker terminals, and Marten's Jorma Statement internal wiring.
--->
Marten Parker Trio Diamond Edition Floorstanding Speaker Review.
Métronome Technologie Le Player 4+ DAC / CD
Player Review
The persistence of memory.
Review By Maurice Jeffries
In
an act of musical and marketplace bravery, the esteemed French electronics firm
Métronome Technologie has taken the bold step of offering music lovers still
wed to physical media a device many long ago consigned to the dustbin of audio
history: a dedicated CD player. When Toronto, Canada-based audio distributor /
dealer Wynn Wong of Wynn Audio and our Creative Director Steven R. Rochlin
contacted to gauge my interest in reviewing Metronome Technology Le Player 4+ CD
player / DAC, I thought that they both must be crazy. What sane manufacturer
would dare to offer a dedicated (and pricey) CD player in a market dominated by
digital servers, streamers, music streaming services, and outboard DACs to that
most fickle of consumers, the modern audiophile?
--->
Métronome Technologie Le Player 4+ DAC / CD Player Review.
Songer Audio S1 Field Coil Point-Source
Loudspeaker Review
Singing a magnificent song.
Review By Bob Grossman
Do you remember as a kid when you
first heard an excellent quality music system? It was exciting, right? That
first time I heard music on a good stereo, I was completely mesmerized as if
real musicians were performing in the room! It was an emotional experience
beyond the thrilling sound. That feeling came back a few months ago at the
Capital Audio Fest when I visited the Songer Audio room and heard the S1
Speakers for the first time. I had been listening to music in many different
demo rooms with my good friend Ken Sternberg. We were also saying hello to
industry friends and taking in the excitement of the festival. Something magical
happened when we went into the Songer Room that distinctly grabbed our
attention, like the first time I heard a stereo 60 years ago.
--->
Songer Audio S1 Field Coil Point-Source Loudspeaker Review.
Soundsmith Zephyr
MK III ES Phono Cartridge Review
Unveiling the masterworks!
Review By Paul Schumann
Back when I
was starting to get serious about audio equipment, a long-time audiophile friend
of mine offered me his collection of back issues of The Absolute Sound. I
was a fan of TAS and eagerly accepted. For the next few months, night
after night, I read, from cover to cover, all of those issues in chronological
order. It was a fascinating dig into the early history of high-end audio and the
culture that developed around it. One of the important discoveries made by Harry
Pearson and his minions, was the sonic superiority of the old RCA "Shaded Dog"
and Mercury records. The acquisition of pristine copies of these discs became an
obsession for many audiophiles because, with the exception of a few reissues by
MoFi, the audiophile vinyl business wasn't in full swing yet.
--->
Soundsmith Zephyr MK III ES Phono Cartridge Review.
Synergistic Research Master Fuse Review
Take a leap of faith and trust your own ears.
Review By Rick Becker
Andy
Weiderspahn was away at the Florida Audio Expo when news broke of their new
Master fuse so Kevin Sample stepped up and obtained permission for me to receive
some review samples. Having previously reviewed the Black, Blue, Orange, and
Purple fuses over the years I was eager to investigate this new version —
especially because of the hype that went along with the introduction. Obviously,
it is not named with a color. More alarmingly, it takes a large jump in price
over the Purple fuses that grace much of my system. But most importantly, it
claims to be such an improvement over the Purple that they recommend using only
one, primarily in your source component, two at most. This last point softens
the blow of the price jump. The Master is said to work well with lesser
Synergistic fuses that may already grace your system.
---> Synergistic Research Master Fuse Review.
Vermouth Audio Studio Monitor Loudspeaker
Review
A good-looking and great-sounding loudspeaker.
Review By
Tom Lyle
Vermouth
Audio is located in the Indonesian province of Bali, which is located east of
Java. Most know Bali as a vacation destination. In fact, in 2017, Trip Advisor
named Bali the world's top destination in its "Traveler's Choice
award." Bali again won this honor in January 2021. About 80% of Bali's
economy is tourism related. Vermouth Audio is part of the 20% unrelated to
tourism. They are a company that designs and manufactures high-end audio
connectors, cables, electronics, and, of the subject of this review,
loudspeakers. When I was given the opportunity to review Vermouth Audio's
Studio Monitors, which are distributed in the US by Believe Audio, located in
Hutto, Texas, I enthusiastically accepted their offer.
--->
Vermouth Audio Studio Monitor Loudspeaker 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.
Listener
Magazine's The Intro
Editorial By Art Dudley
Volume two of the Monumental five-volume set of Bob Dylan's
The Genuine Basement Tapes reaches an emotional climax with a plaintive song called
"I'm
Not There" — no mean feat after the brilliant "Going to Acapulco" and three takes
of "Tears of Rage," one in waltz time. "I'm Not There" has appeared before, on
The Great White Wonder and on Volume One of The Newly Discovered Basement Tapes
on Surprise Records (the latter credited to Blind Boy Grunt and The Hawks), and while the version on
The Genuine Basement Tapes is the best sounding of the bunch, you still wouldn't mistake it for
anything other than a bootleg. About a third of the words are unintelligible, and as if that
weren't enough of an obstacle, the recording begins in mid-verse, with no clue as to
how much had been played before the tape started rolling. No way for technology to
fix that, I guess.
---> The Intro By Art Dudley.
MONOphono Preamplifier
Article By Diego Nardi, Audio Note Italia
I'd firstly like to thank Allen Wright for his
appreciation and his criticism on my (p42
design. I like this kind of constructive
debate and, therefore, I'll express some
thoughts about the points Allen made, one
by one. Agreed. Two Points: Number one is that high
transconductance tubes like the 417A are
very attractive at first sight, but they pay a
big price for their apparent ability to "resolve charge levels on the order of an
electron"[?!]. The first one is that their linearity is rather poor. Also, they can only
stand very limited plate voltages on the
order of 100V. The only point about high
current is that you must use a very low
value/high dissipation plate load resistor.
That makes for distortion in both the resistor and the tube — low level operation is no
excuse! The second one is that, in order to obtain
25 mA/V, these tubes have their electrodes
extremely close together and their frame
grids are wound with micron-thick wire.
---> MONOphono Preamplifier.
Rare
Birds
Listening impressions of some collectible equipment.
There, I hope that helps keep anyone from getting to upset, because I'm going
to be honest about what I thought of some very highly touted equipment. Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to
audition a Marantz 7 preamp and 8 power amp which were consigned to me.
Both pieces were in excellent electronic shape and very good to excellent cosmetic
shape. The preamp had been checked out and a new filter cap installed by Audio Classics, the guys in
New York who sell all the Mac stuff for huge prices. Both units had been freshly
re-tubed with ARS tubes, and were driven daily by their owner, a high end audio dealer. The output tubes in the
amp appeared to be relabeled GE 6CA7s, but I won't commit to that. So I got the stuff home and listened to it. I used the Magnepans so as not to taint
my impression with my yet to be debugged.
---> Rare Birds.
Is The Music BUSINESS Working Against Music Lovers
Do mastering engineers / music suffer at the hands of
the lowest common denominator?
Editorial By Steven R. Rochlin
Have been trying my best to stop writing about music and audio
gear, yet there's a voice inside of me saying you should, make that must,
speak your truth. It's no secret that I read an abundance of industry
inside information. This is not just high-end audio, it also pertains to
musicians, recording studios, FOH / live performance, and mastering engineers
(to name a few). What I find very interesting is that those who dare to speak up have
many of the same concerns we audiophiles do!
--->
Is The Music BUSINESS Working Against Music Lovers?
Forget The Specs
Roger Skoff writes something that could change your mind completely.
Article
By Roger Skoff
Until
not very long ago, "spec sheets" were an important part of our audio hobby. You
know what I'm talking about – those single-sheet write-ups that showed a
picture of a product, gave a description of its features and qualities, and set
down in detail such things as frequency response, measured distortion,
signal-to-noise ("S/N") ratio, and so on. People used to pick them up at Hi-Fi Shows as reminders about
products that had particularly caught their attention, or they would ask for
them, supposedly "to show the Little Lady", as "get-out-of-the-store
without-buying-anything"
passes, when they'd auditioned something at their local HiFi dealer and either
didn't want, or weren't yet ready, to buy them.
---> Forget The Specs.
Gingko Audio Sextet Speaker
System Review
Enjoying everything the Gingko Swarm has to offer with many options available too!
Review By Brett Rudolph
Over the
years, I have had the opportunity to review several different speakers and
speaker systems. Each one has the character that sets it apart from the next.
So, when you can audition speakers and have the designer help set them up and
explain them to you, it aids in giving a full review. Therefore, when the
opportunity presented itself late last year, I jumped at the chance. Usually, the first contact is a brief discussion on the
product and a time to work out logistics. However, Vinh Vu from Gingko Audio,
and I spoke more about the Sextet system's potential.
---> Gingko Audio Sextet
Speaker System Review.
Gryphon Audio Essence Preamplifier
And Essence Stereo Power Amplifier Review
Blown away by an amazing musical performance!
Review By Tom Lyle
The
Gryphon Essence preamplifier and Gryphon Stereo power amplifier are gorgeous
looking and beautiful sounding Danish high-end audio components. Those who can
afford either or both of these components will not only enjoy stellar sound
quality but most likely will also be able to enjoy the fact that they are the
epitome of audio equipment that has a look and "feel" of luxury goods. Gryphon
founder Flemming E. Rasmussen was responsible for the stunningly beautiful
exterior of the rather large (and heavy!) Gryphon Essence preamplifier and
Stereo Essence power amplifier. Good looks and operational refinement are
especially true of the Gryphon Essence preamplifier. Its weighty
infrared metal remote was only one indication of this Danish audio manufacturer's
recognition of many audiophile's appreciation of the intangibles that are
available on many preamps.
--->
Gryphon Audio Essence Preamplifier & Essence Amplifier Review.
Kronos Discovery
Turntable Review
Drive-by reviewing at Long Valley.
Rick Becker
Investigates A Treasured Turntable.
It
was supposed to be a nearly five-hour trip but my wife missed a turn on the
shortcut and took the Shooting Brake through an all-terrain parking lot to buy
lunch at Subway. Then there were accidents on I-80 to slow us down.
Nevertheless, Bill Parish was all smiles, as usual, when we pulled into GTT
Audio to get a listen to Louis Desjardins' latest masterpiece, the Kronos
Discovery turntable. Bill had sent me his GTT video newsletter
with a pow-wow after David W. Robinson, Editor in Chief and Senior Writer
Maurice Jeffries of Positive Feedback had spent an afternoon listening to the
new turntable. Emails flew and Louis sent me a copy of Alan Sircom's review in HiFi+
magazine. I emailed Louis and told him I thought it was a very good
review. He replied that he thought it was an Excellent!
--->
Kronos Discovery Turntable Review.
LampizatOr Amber 4 Stereo DAC /
Preamplifier Review
It's hard to imagine a more musical DAC in its price.
Review By Rick Becker
A decade
ago LampizatOr was not yet on my radar. My review of the LampizatOr Amber 4
stereo DAC / preamplifier, as seen here, is a testament to their efforts over
the years. It wasn't until the New York Audio Show in 2014 that I first heard
one. The
rig was totally comprised of gear that was new to me. The only familiar thing
was Lyle Lovett singing "North Dakota." I didn't have much to say about the
sound quality, which is neither good nor bad. Spring forward to November,
at the Capital AudioFest 2021
and there were more than a handful of their various
DACs on display. LampizatOr has become a top brand, and while they are best
known in the US for their DACs, they offer four levels of "turnkey" systems in
which everything, including cables, is made by LampizatOr. Their speakers
feature open baffle midrange and tweeters with enclosed woofers, much like the
early Tekton Design speaker I found so delightful back in 2009. Today, I dare
say they are at the leading edge of DAC design.
--->
LampizatOr Amber 4 Stereo DAC / Preamplifier Review.
Ayon
Audio CD-35 II CD Player And USA Labs RS9 Music
Server Review
Two very versatile, and impressive, performers.
Review By Bob Grossman
The Ayon Audio CD-35 II as reviewed here, is the latest introduction to a long lineage of CD players that have
been well regarded going back to the various models in the 3 and 5 series, along
with ideas derived from their special edition CD35HF. But the CD-35 II is more
than a CD player – it is also a fully functioning preamplifier and DAC. It is
a single-ended triode pure Class A design using a 6H30 and a 5687 tube for each
channel, and a GZ30 tube as a rectifier for the power supply. It is also a zero-feedback
design. Ayon Audio's CD-35 II built-in DAC can be used to play music files
from your computer via the USB connection. The DAC also has a coaxial RCA input
for S/PDIF, I2S, BNC, AES/EBU, and three other BNC inputs for DSD. For this
review I also evaluated the USA Labs RS9 music server to coordinate streaming of music
from Qobuz.
--->
Ayon CD-35 II CD Player And USA Labs RS9 Music Server Review.
FiiO E10K-TC And K3 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier Review
Going back to school.
Review By Paul Schumann
If you have
read any of my previous reviews, you know that I am a fan of Classical music.
Sure, I listen to rock, pop, and jazz, but classical music is where I will
always be grounded. I'm sure it is because I grew up listening to my father's
music. While he did listen to a mixture of stuff as I was growing up, it was
mostly classical, especially Bach. By the time I reached high school, I found
prog-rock, which of course had a heavy classical influence. And while my Dad
prefers his baroque music, as I got older, I started leaning towards the
romantics. I think it is fair to say that Brahms was my favorite composer
through my 20s, 30s, and 40s. But while I still love that music, there are only
so many times one can listen to Brahms Violin Concerto or Beethoven's 5th
Symphony before they lose their mystery. So, in my 50s, I started branching out
in my musical journey with 20th- and 21st-century composers. What made this
exploration possible was the internet.
--->
FiiO E10K-TC And K3 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier Review.
JPS Labs Superconductor V Interconnects,
Speaker Cables And USB Cables Review
Connecting to the Soul of Music.
Review By Paul Schumann
There has been quite a bit of discussion, lately, in this publication and other forums, about the current direction of the music industry. One of the hot topics is how popular music is recorded and produced. Many argue that the use of software, like
ProTools, to snap everything to a grid and correct any
"flaws" is robbing the music of its soul. Many times the result is music that, while initially appealing, quickly loses the interest of the listener. It is soulless
music. The question is, what is this soul and how do we recognize it? I think most of the time, this occurs at a subconscious level. Why do we want to go see an artist in concert when
we've already heard all of their songs multiple times in studio perfection?
--->
JPS Labs Superconductor V Interconnects, Speaker Cables And USB Cables Review.
World Premiere Review!
Vermouth Audio Reference Series Cables
Review
Reference Balance Interconnect, Reference RCA Interconnect, And Reference Power Cord
A big box of cables from Bali.
Review By Dwayne Carter
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing a pair of
Vermouth
Audio Little Luccas MkII Limited Edition Speakers, along with their Red
Velvet, and Black Pearl Cables. They arrived in a large wooden crate, direct
from Bali. Meticulously packed and well cared for, the audio cables were
individually boxed and wrapped in cloth bags. We were impressed from the moment
we began unboxing until the moment we sent them back to Bali. The delivery of the Vermouth Audio's Reference
Series Cables prompted the same expectation. Vermouth Audio sent three of their
Reference Series Cables: The Reference Balance Interconnect, Reference RCA
Interconnect, and Reference Power Cord. Inside the thick cardboard box; each Reference Series Cable
(or cable pair) arrived in a separate, decorative cardboard box. Inside that
box, each cable (or cable pair) was tucked inside a heavy cloth bag, adorned
with the Vermouth logo.
---> Vermouth Audio Reference Series
Cables Review.
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