High-End Audio / Audiophile Equipment
Reviews And Think Pieces
November 2019
Industry News: Essential High-End Audio Info
Enjoy the Music.com's audiophile news and information.
Special
Holiday Edition!
Great Audiophile Gift Ideas
2019
50 great gifts for music
lovers!
Welcome to Enjoy
the Music.com's 14th annual Great Audiophile Gift recommendations! We all love gifts,
yet getting that something special for an audiophile can be quite a challenge. Enjoy the Music.com's
annual Great Audiophile
Gift wish list brings you 50 web pages filled with some truly spectacular ideas for music lovers.
Prices start at
around $10
and reach to a still reasonable $500 or so. Sure we snuck a few $$$ bits, yet
still under $800. Be sure to visit this page as we
have a free gift especially for you!
---> Read More
Win Synergistic Research ORANGE
Fuses
Five winners will each receive three new Synergistic Research
ORANGE fuses valued at $479.85!
Enjoy the
Music.com is honored to join with Synergistic Research for our November 2019 contest.
The ORANGE Fuse is Synergistic Research's latest and greatest version of their extremely popular UEF Blue
Fuse. In fact the Blue fuse earned
Enjoy the Music.com's 2018 Great Audiophile Gift recommendation.
--->
Learn more plus enter our contest.
New York Audio Show 2019 Report
NYAS 2019 Show Report By Enjoy the
Music.com
Held at the Park Lane Hotel in
Manhattan from November 8th through 10th, the New York Audio Show 2019 features the latest in high-end audio technology. This ranges from loudspeakers created to perfection, headphones with excellent fit and sound for you, to Hi-Res Audio digital sound for your home or on the go. Also featured were many state-of-the-art turntables for your beloved vinyl LP
collection.
---> See our New York
Audio Show 2019 report here.
Capital Audiofest (CAF) 2019 Show Report
CAF 2019
Show Report By Enjoy the Music.com
Capital Audiofest (CAF), launched in 2010 as a very casual
show, has evolved into a well-organized and well-attended event. CAF is recognized as a fun, friendly and family-oriented show where you often see parents with children strolling from room to room listening to music, auditioning gear, and browsing the multiple bins of vinyl records, CDs and
accessories.
---> See our Capital
Audiofest 2019 show report here.
Toronto Audiofest
2019 Show Report
Toronto Audiofest 2019 Show Report
By Rick Becker
Enjoy
the Music.com's Toronto Audiofest 2019 show report features Canada's
luxury high-technology home audio showcase. The Toronto Audiofest is Ontario's new and acclaimed consumer electronics
(CE) exhibition.
---> See our Toronto
Audiofest 2019 show report here.
RMAF 2019 Show Report
Rocky Mountain International Audio Fest
2019 Show Report
Featuring a luxury destination at the brand-new Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center,
our Rocky Mountain International Audio Fest (RMAF) 2019 show report celebrates
our sweet 16 years covering this highly popular high-end audiophile event.
Take in the friendly atmosphere at RMAF where all are welcome and questions are encouraged.
---> See our RMAF 2019 show report here.
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CAF, NYAS, Social Media Fun And Frolicking
Shows and industry comradery as we prepare for the holidays.
Editorial By Steven R. Rochlin
This
weekend's Capital Audiofest (CAF)
2019 is shaping up to be truly epic! Normally editorial are about
whatever is within this issue, yet let's forget all that and go right to the fun
of shows. Why? Because there is sooo much fun to be had while enjoying the
music! During CAF our god friends over at Part-Time
Audiophile posted on Facebook that they're having a get-together for
those under 40 hosted by the fabulous photojournalist Eric Franklin Shook.
---> Read More
Ho, Ho, Ho, The Time Is Hear!
Roger Skoff writes about the coming Holiday Season
Article
By Roger Skoff
The
kids have come and gone, the pumpkin's been carved or eaten, and now it's time
to start thinking about turkeys, family get-togethers, and the December holidays
to come. For me, the holiday season mean two major things: presents and MUSIC! Starting right after Thanksgiving (only a few weeks from now), holiday music is
going to be everywhere on the radio, as background to every television
program, in the elevators, and in the shopping malls, and on most of our
turntables, CD players, and streaming services.
---> Read More
Senseless
Ramblings
RMAF Vs. CEDIA And Twice Vs.
CE Pro
And we'll never have
a high-end audio organization.
Editorial By Steven R. Rochlin
Since this is a Senseless Rambling article by Yours Truly, loyal readers of mine know what to expect. So grab the popcorn, a fine beverage and listen to some cool
n' crazy tunes. Or something more 'age appropriate' as we are discussing the
latest generations of music enthusiasts.
---> Read More
Ear Jewelry For Audiophiles
Roger Skoff writes about the state of the 'art' in Hi-Fi.
Article By Roger Skoff
Have you seen what some of the latest, ultimate, super-duper High-End turntables look like? To me,
they're reminiscent of what the "cities of the future" looked like in those old Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon movie serials of the 1930s and 1940s great networks of massive gleaming towers, all surrounded and interconnected by loops and swirls of the aerial highways predicted by the people back then to be the roads for the flying cars of the
future.
---> Read
More
Synchronicity And Serendipity
Synchronicity and serendipity took this issue of
HIFICRITIC and turned it into a de facto celebration and turned it into a de facto celebration...
Article By Andrew Everard Of HIFICRITIC
There's a lot of received wisdom involved in the world of Hi-Fi: things accepted as being facts just because well, just because
they've always been so, and as a result are beyond challenge. It's a nice, cozy way of thinking, taking in all sorts of myths and legends built up over the years, such as
'source first', 'analogue is always best', and 'the more boxes the better'.
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dCS Bartok DAC / HeadAmp
For Headphones And Stereo Systems
Allowing you to hear music your way, plus make it fresh and exciting!
Review By Frank Iacone Of Headphone.Guru
The dCS Bart๓k network DAC with headphone amp brings the rarified air of true "State-of-the-Art" to personal audio.
Digital audio started in the early 1980s when Sony and Philips introduced the world's first CD players. The marketing campaigns describe the sound
of CD recordings as being perfect and the end-all for music delivery with its compact size. Sony marketed it as " perfect sound forever".
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World Premiere Review!
Art Audio Quartet Tube Monoblock Amplifiers
3D sound staging and sense of scale that will capture your heart!
Review By
Dr. Michael Bump
The Quartet
mono blocks are among a varied line-up of top-shelf SET and Push-Pull amplifiers
designed by master artisan-engineer, Tom Willis. Well-respected as one of the
top valve designers in the UK, Tom established Art Audio in 1988. Along with a
team of like-minded craftsmen, including long time friend, Chris Lucas, the
company moved forward with the singular vision of maximizing the inherent
musical qualities of traditional tube designs.
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Kimber Kable Carbon 8 Interconnects,
Carbon 18 XL Speaker Cables, Ascent Power Cables,
And Select Copper USB Cable
Mega-transparent, plus satisfying every other trait one would expect.
Review By Tom Lyle
I've often
said that the best way to test audio cable is to rewire one's entire system with
that brand or model. This way one will be able to hear the difference in sound
quality with any influence from other types of cable, and truly hear its
affects. Kimber Kable (not a typo, Kimber likes to replace the "C" in cable with
a "K") is one of the only brands of cable that I have found where I could
replace once interconnect in my system, and hear a very distinct improvement of
the sound of my system due to this one cable change.
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Mola Mola Makua Preamplifier / DAC / Phono
Mated With Kaluge Class D Mono Power Amplifiers
Reimagining Net Neutrality
The Mola Mola Kaluga Class D
mono power amplifiers and companion Makua preamplifier with onboard DAC and Phono
modules.
Review By Maurice Jeffries Of Positive Feedback
Now that GTT Audio & Video head Bill
Parish and I are finally back on friendly terms (heck, he even calls me on the
phone occasionally to give me a hard time, and to ask when I plan to get around
to finishing the reviews I promised to write, if ever), it seemed like the right
time to share with the world my thoughts on a wonderful suite of electronics
from the cutting edge design team at Mola Mola, the Dutch electronics wizards
with the funny sounding name.
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Audio Analogue Maestro Anniversary
Int. Amplifier
A sonic wolf in sheep's clothing.
Review By Tom Lyle
When I was
asked if I would like to review Audio Analogue's newest integrated amplifier, I
exclaimed "Yes!". Why? Because even on paper it seemed as if it was an
extremely well-designed integrated amplifier, and also could easily power my
reference speakers with a healthy 150 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms, its power
doubling each time its impedance load is halved and besides all this, I love
equipment that's made in Italy. Even if some of this gear isn't a perfect match
for the system in which it would be auditioned, I never have been disappointed
in the sound quality of any of those components.
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Kharma Elegance
dB7-S Floorstanding Speakers
Gorgeous looks... and they look as good as they sound.
Review By Tom Lyle
Let's be
clear. Kharma Elegance dB7-Sare not the largest or the most expensive high-end
loudspeakers one can buy. They aren't even the largest or most expensive
speakers in the line that they are a part of. But they are gorgeous high-end
speakers that sound as good as they look, and obviously designed, built, and are
intended to be included in the best high-end audio systems that are owned by
those that consider themselves to be discriminating audiophiles. One can place
them into an existing system, or one can build a fine system around these
speakers.
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LampizatOr Golden Gate 2 DAC
An accurate and unfettered music source for my system.
Review By Matthew Clott
Vacuum tubes versus solid-state are the
Audiophile's version of red versus white wine. Both are lovely and both
have die-hard fans and haters alike. I don't buy into either club
completely, and I don't want to start the next Vacuum Tube Versus
Solid-State war. I have enjoyed and currently own both tube and
solid-state gear, and use both for reviews. That said, years ago I
developed an aversion to tubes in my DAC's, partly due to experience and
partly due to unsubstantiated personal bias (hey, at least I'm honest!).
--->
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Monitor Audio Platinum PL 100 II Standmount Speaker
Heart of platinum.
Review By Michael Lang Of STEREO Magazine
Recently we tested the Gold 200 from Monitor Audio. But we wanted more than gold and ordered the Platinum PL 100 II standmount speaker from the
Brit's top series. This compact two-way speaker from England deserves a price for its meticulous attention to detail that we
haven't seen anything like in a long time. The Platinum 100 is manufactured neatly and lovingly right down to the last
screw.
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Clearly Cardas
A loudspeaker designer's
entanglement in Cardas Clear loudspeaker cables.
Review By
Michael Zisserson Of Positive Feedback
Cables are a source of much
contention in our epic. So much so that some publications seem afraid to discuss
them anymore. YouTubers will show you a coat hanger that somehow out-performs,
or at least equals, Monster Cable. Devout subscribers to the esoteric could chew
an ear for hours, pontificating that cables are all that matters in an
audio system. Yet like loudspeaker design or any other specialization in
audio, cable design is a science in and of itself, which takes years of
dedication to master.
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Manley Labs Absolute Headphone Amplifier / Preamplifier
Rare Form: Manley creates a Masterpiece that looks and sounds like nothing else!
Review By Dave Hanson
I had the pleasure of meeting Manley Labs VP of Engineering and Design, Zia
Faruqi,
in the CanJam exhibit at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2018. While I was more than
familiar with the Manley name, this was the first time I had seen them in the
personal audio section of the show, so naturally I was quite curious about their
debuting flagship headphone amplifier, the Manley Labs Absolute Headphone
Amplifier ($4500). Zia was very generous with his time, and walked me through
the devastating and inspiring story behind the amplifier's creation.
--->
Read More
World
Premiere Review!
LampizatOr Amber III Hi-Res DAC
Fall in love with your music all over again.
Review By Dave Hanson
It's one thing to create a component that listeners can appreciate. It's quite
another to create a component that makes listeners appreciate their music even
more. For me, the LampizatOr Amber III digital to analog converter ($2750 on up
depending on options) falls
into the latter category, quite decisively, in fact. It's a component that
reintroduces you to your music, and it produces love at first listen.
--->
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World Premiere Review!
Fidelice Precision DAC By Rupert Neve
As the artists intended.
Review By Gary Barker Of Headphone.Guru
Musicians
and regular attendees of CanJams will be familiar with the name Rupert Neve.
Rupert Neve began designing custom mixing consoles for the music industry back
in the 1960s and his current company Rupert Neve Designs continues in that
tradition, building custom mixing consoles, microphone preamplifiers, equalizers
and accessories for Pro-Audio. Fidelice is a new line of Reference Consumer
Audio products created by Rupert Neve Designs with the intent of bringing
studio-quality sound to the average music lover, and the Fidelice Precision
Digital-to-Analog Converter is their opening salvo.
---> Read
More
Quiescent Mains Cable Loom
The concept of vibration control in signal-carrying cables is a relatively well understood, but can the same factors affect a system via its mains cable?
Review By Kevin Fiske Of HIFICRITIC
Following
my positive reviews in HIFICRITIC of the Quiescent Technologies Peak Speaker
Cables (Vol. 12/2) and Peak Interconnect (Vol. 12/3) I was invited by
the company to try its more costly Apex Interconnect. However, in my
system the Apex sounded too fat in the bass and rather sluggish. I
preferred the Peak. Quiescent's Steve Elford suspected my mains loom.
Could one of his colleagues bring a selection of Quiescent formerly Vertex
AQ mains products to try in my system?
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Sonus faber Olympica @ World Of McIntosh NYC
A good high-end system is akin to a time machine.
Review By Tom Lyle
Last
year I took a
tour of World Of McIntosh, a very impressive five-story luxury
townhouse in the Soho neighborhood of downtown New York City. World Of
McIntosh is an amazing place, packed with working audio systems featuring
gear from McIntosh, Sonus faber, Pro-Ject Audio Systems, Audio Research, and
more. This luxurious space is used as an event space, for invitation only audio
tours, and for anything else one who wants to use a space "where music and
design are merged in a way that's striking, memorable, and undeniably
enjoyable".
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The Core Issues: Choosing A Power Transformer
Article By Michael S. LaFevre Of MagneQuest Transformer Company
From Sound Practices Issue 1, Summer 1992
The Core
Issues examines the
function, construction, design, and
operation of magnetics for audio applications. This series will combine
practical advice in the form of useful "rules of thumb" with enough pure
theory to give us some concept of how
these magnificent devices work. This
column is not an academic engineering tutorial but rather a guide to
becoming an informed consumer.
---> Read More
My Own Triode Input MK III
Dan remakes a Dyna MKIII to 'juice his lizard'.
By Dan Schmalle From VALVE Issue 9, September 1994
A remarkably
bad graphic representation of a very pretty amp. Squint to see the Tung-Sol 6550's, new tube
arrangement,
Vitamin Q caps, new bias pot location, and cool
paint job. Some of you may remember that I was
so enamored of the Mklll's I modified
for Chris that I wangled a pair for myself.
As I recall I bought a Fisher 20A,
swapped that and some other stuff for a MkIV, and then swapped the MklV and
a pair of Ampex monoblocks for the Mklll's. Then I swapped a Philco Model
60 cathedral radio for a quad of Tung
Sol 6550 tubes.
---> Read More
World Premiere Review!
Mark Levinson No 523 Preamplifier, Phonostage And Headphone Amplifier
The No 523 is truly first-class linestage, excellent phono stage and impressive head amp.
Review By
Tom Lyle
Mark Levinson hardly needs an introduction. I
don't mean the
man Mark Levinson, the audiophile and engineer who started building and selling
audio components in 1972, back when the term "high-end audio" had hardly
entered the lexicon. I mean the company Mark Levinson, which came into being in
1980 when Mark Levinson, the man, sold his company. Even though the company was
no longer owned by the Mr. Mark Levinson, the Mark Levinson brand did, and still
has, a reputation for designing and selling very high-quality components.
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FiiO FH5 In-Ear Monitor Review
An Exit From The Entry Level:
FiiO's FH5 is a high-end IEM through and through.
Review By Dave Hanson
The
FiiO brand is really synonymous with high bang-for-buck value in the personal
audio world. For many people, FiiO is a launching pad the first "audiophile"
amp or DAC they ever own. For me personally, it was the FiiO E6 just a
tiny little pocket amp that was supposed be an improvement relative to my phone's
headphone jack. Viola, my first dedicated headphone amp!
---> Read More
Gryphon Diablo 300 Integrated Amp
With 32-bit/384kHz
& DSD DAC Option
Proven power, magnificent majesty and very versatile too!
Review By
Steven R. Rochlin
Am no
stranger to Gryphon Audio as have reviewed their impressive offerings over the
years and always came away impressed. This includes a complete system review
with their Atilla integrated amplifier, Scorpio CD player and Mojo speakers
plus another review
of their incredibly impressive Hi-Res Audio Kalliope DAC. Would the
Gryphon Audio Diablo 300 integrated amplifier,
as reviewed here, be within the same league of excellence?
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Pass Labs X250.8 Solid-State Stereo Amplifier
A powerful, detailed and delicate sounding
power amplifier.
Review By
Anthony Nicosia
Not too long ago (in a galaxy...), during July 2012 actually,
it was my privilege to review two products from Pass Laboratories. Specifically,
their very impressive XP-10 preamplifier and outstanding XA 60.5 monoblock power
amplifiers. Both were a joy to have in my audio system and were sorely missed when returned
to the factory after my standard two month review period. So when the
opportunity arose for me to borrow their new .8 series amplifier, the X250.8,
there was absolutely no hesitation on my part to jump at the chance to again
audition a Nelson Pass design.
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World Premiere Review!
Monoprice Monolith Liquid Platinum Headphone Amplifier
Monoprice resurrects a Cavalli Design that captures the imagination.
Review By Dave Hanson
The Monolith Liquid Platinum, like the Liquid Crimson before
it, is one of Cavalli's most neutral sounding offerings. I wouldn't call it an "analytical"
sound, however. If anything, it is just a little midrange-centric, with the mids
taking the front of the stage, the treble and midbass relaxed just a hair
behind, and the sub-bass just a bit further back behind that.
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Soulution Audio 330 Stereo Integrated Amplifier
A wolf in sheep's clothing.
Review By
Phil Gold
Sometimes a review is difficult to write. Not today! This
review writes itself. I'm not quite sure if a twenty-grand amp can be called a
bargain, but I'm going to do it anyway, and I'm going to have to tell you
why. Forget for a moment the looks, the size of the box, the technological
nuggets inside, just listen to the sound, experience this special imaging. If
you were blind testing you'd swear this was a tube amp, so full and alive is
the midrange. But what tube amp has such control in the bass?
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World Premiere Review!
Merrill Audio Element 118 Monoblock Amplifiers
A transparent, powerful, refined, good looking, but admittedly pricey brute.
Review By
Tom Lyle
The Element 118 monoblocks are Merrill Audio's newest products. I read about them long before I received my review samples, so I already knew that they are the most ambitious components that Merrill Audio has ever produced. They are named Element 118 after Oganesson, the newest element in the periodic table. Merrill Audio used this for the name of their amplifier because it "reflects the newest in technologies in the Element 118".
--->
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High-Performance Audio Reviews
