High-End Audio Industry News

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01 / 31 / 12

  The Astell&Kern iRiver AK100 unit ($699) now supports audiophile-grade lossless files including AIFF (.AFF) that is Apple's uncompressed PCM standard and ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) plus AAC codec. The new firmware AK100 V1.30 enhances the units already impressive specifications and file support. Externally, the unit features brushed aluminum with a front-mounted and sensitive analog feel volume wheel. With the iRiver AK 100 device users can enjoy a use the touch screen interface to adjust the built-in five-band equalizer. Equipped with the Wolfson WM8740 24-bit/192kHz DAC, use TosLink optical in/out function. As for memory, the unit has 32GB internally and can handle two MicroSD cards. The unit natively supports Mastering Quality Sound (MQS) 24-bit, 96 to 192 kHz and is considered as the digital music format with the most amount of information. MQS can be downloaded from HDTracks and other high-definition audio file download sources.

HDtracks, the premier high resolution music download store, announces AIFF, ALAC, WAV, and FLAC download formats are now available in their new user friendly download application. The new formats allow users to easily playback their master quality files in the music library of their choice. Master quality music downloads can now be easily enjoyed by the masses. Users may download individual tracks or entire albums in the audio file format that is most compatible with their audio devices. With file formats including AIFF, ALAC, WAV or FLAC, the downloaded music is compatible with iTunes, Winamp, WMP, Jriver, and more. These additional file formats offer access to the largest online library of digital rights management free, CD and DVD audio quality downloads from the only United States store to offer high resolution master-quality downloads. You can visit HDtracks by clicking here.

01 / 30 / 13

  The new Audolici integrated tube amplifier A-25 ($4050) combines innovative design, high class production and vintage-quality components. By using the best advanced technology for control yet tubes for amplification, the A-25 welcomes the best of both worlds. By using a pair of EL-35 tubes, the A-25 produces 25 wpc stereo and includes a bias adjustment trimmer. A pair of 6SL7 tubes help round out the tube compliment. This analog unit has four inputs via unbalanced RCA including CD, Tuner, Aux 1 and Aux 2. Output is via high quality gold-plated speaker binding posts. The unit can handle both 4 to 6 or 6 to 8 Ohm speakers. Frequency response is from 28 Hz to 16 kHz, SNR is 88dB and channel separation is 50dB. Weight is 25 lbs and the unit is available in black, white and grey.

Voce Audio's VA-3s speaker (starting at approx. $30,000 per pair) is a full range three-way design and takes advantage of a collaborative effort with MSB Technology. Tipping the scale at 235 lbs., the VA-3s employs solid phenolic baffles and base, Baltic Birch ply and multilayer constrained dampening to achieve an extremely solid cabinet. Scan-Speak's Revelator drivers, Stillpoints' Ultras and painstakingly designed hand-crafted crossover ensure high-end quality audiophiles demand. The 44.75 x 14 x 20.5 (HxWxD) cabinet holds a 1" neodymium ring radiator tweeter with dual wave guide, 150 mm slit paper midrange with non-resonant cone and dust cap and a 260 mm sandwich cone Nomex woofer. All together, the speaker achieves a frequency response from 22 Hz to 40 kHz. The internal crossover uses high quality parts including Mundorf capacitors and resistors and Goertz large gauge inductors; with pure copper Litz wire for all connections. Sensitivity is 89dB/W/m and the speaker presents a 6 Ohm load (minimum 4.1 Ohm at 100 Hz).

01 / 29 / 13

  Enjoy has just posted Hi-Fi World's March 2013 edition including the complete editorial and table of contents. This issue includes reviews of the Quad ESL-2812 electrostatic loudspeaker, Micromega MyDAC, Chord QuteHD DAC with DSD and PCM, Yamaha AV receiver RX-A820, Astell & Kern AK100, Prima Luna Prologue valve amplifier and much more! The editorial by Noel Keywood says, "There's no better symbol of high fidelity than the electrostatic loudspeaker. Pushing air with a gossamer thin Mylar film driven by electrostatic forces has got to be the most immediately and obviously evocative way of generating sound. It is something we can all understand is truly esoteric – and Quad produced one of the first domestic electrostatic loudspeakers in 1957. The world has been trying to beat them at it ever since, but none have managed to pull ahead convincingly." See the complete March table of contents and editorial of Hi-Fi World by clicking here.

Merrill Audio released two new models of their Veritas amplifiers; a dual mono version called the Veritas Twins and bridged monoblocks called the Veritas Siamese Twins ($9000 and $18,000 respectively). All three models are built around the Hypex Ncore NC1200 circuits. The Veritas Twins Dual Mono Amplifier has the same sonic attributes as their Veritas monoblocks yet in a single chassis. The Veritas Twins chassis are constructed from a single aluminum billet and on the rear the users only needs a single power cord for ease of installation. Veritas' Siamese Twins monoblocks provide a bridged version of the monoblocks for those who desire a bridged Ncore. The Veritas Siamese Twins has two speaker binding posts and uses Cardas Litz wire internally. Power cables from the power inlet to the board are 10 AWG cryogenically treated, very high strand, soft annealed copper wires. The supplied power cord is from the highly respected Triode Wire Labs and was developed for maximum performance.

Music Industry News 10 Years Ago
With declining music sales, declining music releases and the RIAA constantly doing legal battle with online peer-to-peer online file services, some of the largest retailers have teamed up to form a legal online music service. Going under the name of Echo, retailers such as Best Buy, FYE, Hastings Entertainment, Tower Records, Virgin Entertainment Group, and Wherehouse Entertainment will be providing pay per play services. Referring to other online music services, Chief Executive of Echo Dan Hart said "Obviously, there has been a lot of talk in the last three years and there have been a lot of failures." Echo may work to further promote their services by offering various incentives to customers including buy a CD at a retail brick and mortar store, get a free music download. Will their plan work? Only time will tell.

01 / 28 / 13

  Purity Audio Design has officially announced their Series 2 line of vacuum tube preamplifiers (from $3500 to $53,000 depending on model and configuration). The Series 2 has a new circuit optimized to operate with either 6SN7 or 12AU7 tubes. Power supplies now utilize high current toroidal transformers, choke filtering and 100% polypropylene capacitor filter banks. For inputs, both balanced via XLR and unbalanced via RCA jacks are provided for whilst output is via stereo set of RCA or XLRs. Amplification of the signal is done in pure Class A for high-end quality sound and the unit has a very wide frequency response from 13 Hz to 35 kHz. Soon to be released is Purity Audio Design's 18 watt parallel single ended 300B monoblocks with "first of its kind output transformer technology as well as new 'Magnetic Conduction Technology' by Magnetic Innovations LLC". The company plans on launching the 300B amplifier and Series 2 Silver Statement linestage at AXPONA 2013 in Chicago.

01 / 25 / 13

TGIFMUSIC
TGIF as we all wish a happy birthday to Etta James, who would be celebrating her 75th birthday today. Enjoy the Music :)

FREEMUSIC
AXPONA and MA Recordings is now offering a free music album download! We all want to thank Todd Garfinkle of MA Recordings for this gracious offering. NOTE: This download is available until Feb 6, 2013. Get your free music right now at this link.

Audiogon has teamed up with Audio Electronics by Cary Audio to debut their Manufacturer Direct Sales Initiative. The highly popular and leading marketplace for online sales of high performance audio products and accessories, Audiogon and Audio Electronics by Cary Audio highlight the simplicity and elegance of the initial products launched under the Audio Electronics Supply moniker. For sale right now on Audiogon are the Constellation Preamplifier, Hercules Power Amplifier, and Nighthawk Headphone Amplifier($1495, $1895, and $1195 respectively). The Audio Electronics by Cary Audio line has been designed at the company’s factory in North Carolina and each unit is manufactured by hand to exacting standard for high-end audio performance.

Pro audio comes the the rescue as Orange Amplification used the NAMM event to launch their new DIVO VT1000 Valve Tester ($499). This new tube tester handles matching, testing and grading valves. This compact unit uses solid-state and computer circuitry to automatically test tubes quickly and accurately. The benefits of using the VT1000 are clear and wide reaching; users can quickly and simply match and test valves, plus receive a reliable health check as to whether their valves are good, bad or worn. Orange Amps developed the world's first fully automatic, portable, digital valve tester, the VT1000, as it easily handles all popular power and pre-amp valves. The unit has one octal and two nine pin valve sockets for different valve types; simply insert the valve to be tested into the correct socket, select the valve type from the list on the unit and press 'START' to test. The results are displayed clearly and concisely using LEDs and will test for a wide range of fault conditions, which could easily cause damage to other components. The simplicity of operation belies what is going on 'inside the box', where a CPU controlled testing system is in operation, allowing full control over all inter-electrode switching and measurement operations.

01 / 24 / 13

  A new medical study has been released titled "Early Adolescent Music Preferences and Minor Delinquency" by Tom F.M. Bogt PhD, Loes Keijsers PhD, Wim H.J. Meeus PhD and others. They wanted to test Music Marker Theory (MMT) positing that early adolescents' preferences for non-mainstream types of popular music indicate concurrent and later minor delinquency. This was a four year study and it showed that early fans of different types of rock (e.g, rock, heavy metal, gothic, punk), African American music (rhythm and blues, hip-hop), and electronic dance music (trance, techno/hardhouse) showed elevated minor delinquency concurrently and longitudinally. Preferring conventional pop (chart pop) or highbrow music (classic music, jazz), in contrast, was not related to or was negatively related to minor delinquency. The study concluded that early music preferences emerged as more powerful indicators of later delinquency rather than early delinquency, indicating that music choice is a strong marker of later problem behavior. The mechanisms through which music preferences are linked to minor delinquency are discussed within the framework of MMT. You can read the entire study (in PDF) at this link.

Music Industry News 10 Years Ago
ESS Technology, Inc. is now offering new digital to analog (DAC) chipsets that suport DVD-Audio with plans to also support SACD in the near future. ESS's ES6038F DVD-Audio decoding capable Vibratto chip will be found in Denon Ltd.'s new products such as their DVD-9000 DVD player. This chip provides surround sound capability of up to six independent channels of 24-bit/96kHz audio, two-channel resolution of 24-bit/192kHz, multi-channel Meridian Lossless Packing (MLP) audio decoding, Linear Pulse Code Modulation (LPCM) audio decode, audio watermark detection, and Copy Protection for Prerecorded Media (CPPM). As for SACD, ESS Technology has obtained a license from Philips to incorporate the new Super Audio CD (SACD) format into ESS chips. ESS intends to add SACD capability to its Vibratto DVD single-chip solution family by the second quarter of 2002.

01 / 23 / 13

  Speaker manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins has partnered with Maserati to provide a premium audio system for the new 2013 Maserati Quattroporte. Capitalizing on exclusive system ingredients and audio expertise, Bowers & Wilkins continues to extend the boundaries of its entertainment systems. Bowers & Wilkins is proud to announce that the 2013 Quattroporte will feature a new high-performance sound system that complements Maserati's new flagship vehicle. The new premium surround system draws on Bowers & Wilkins extensive know-how along with the brand's technologies and pioneering use of materials to raise audio performance to new levels. The system's components utilize a combination of high-performance, low-distortion speaker designs, including extended range 25mm aluminum tweeters, 100mm Kevlar midrange units, and 165mm Rohacell woofers, reflecting components found in Bowers & Wilkins award-winning premium loudspeakers. For deep bass, a 320mm x 200mm subwoofer is mounted within the rear parcel shelf. Every detail of the Bowers & Wilkins premium surround system is designed and acoustically optimized for the Maserati Quattroporte, following an intensive engineering and design collaboration between the companies. The 15-speaker system is powered by a 1280 Watt Harman high-efficiency multi-channel DSP amplifier, incorporating its highly-advanced QuantumLogic surround technology. The new surround technology allows customers a choice of listening modes, effectively putting them on stage or in the audience, making for an engaging and immersive audio experience.

01 / 22 / 13

SneakPeek
Yet another World Premiere review from Enjoy the Music.com! This month we are giving everyone, including our Facebook and Twitter users, an advanced look at our World Premiere review of the Oppo BDP-105 3D Universal / Blu-ray disc player / DAC! In his review of the Oppo BDP-105 Dr. Bill Gaw says, "So what does the above mean? Simply that the Oppo BDP 105, when setup properly, could replace the majority of both your preamp-processor and video controller's functions.... On the audio side, digital can be input through the above plus a TosLink optical and RCA S/PDIF input. It can decode and play back just about every audio file type or disc from just about any input source." We have gladly made this World Premiere review available to everyone and not just our social media friends. You can see the Oppo BDP-105 review at this link, yet also remember to come join us on our social media networks for more updates and special information postings by clicking the links below.

Enjoy the Music.com would like to congratulate David Chesky for earning being the 52nd Recipient of Lancaster Symphony Composer's Award. Three-time Grammy nominee David Chesky has earned great respect for his fresh and unique approach to musical compositions, which span the jazz and classical genres. Captivating audiences around the world, The New York Times raves, "Chesky combines a gritty sophistication with street-level energy and currents of exotic folkishness." As a composer of orchestral works, operas and ballets, an author of children's books, a jazz pianist and a world-renowned innovator of audio technologies, Chesky redefines the role of a modern-day renaissance man. Critics describe his music as "highly individualistic," "memorable," "dynamic" and "exotic." Best known for his thrilling and driving "Urban Orchestral" music, a term which he himself coined, David Chesky has developed his own unique style of composition, merging classical techniques with sounds emanating from the streets of New York. Critics praise his unique style noting, "Chesky fuses diverse influences into a musical language all his own." (Gramophone Magazine) Chesky has composed concertos for electric guitar, violin, and cello, featured on his 2011 albums Urbanicity and String Theory. A composer for both opera and ballet, his controversial and cutting edge The Pig, the Farmer, and the Artist, garnered the highest acclaim from both opera and theater critics. As many audiophiles know, David Chesky is also the genius behind the highly popular high resolution music download site HDtracks.

Music Industry News 10 Years Ago
Enjoy the Music.com is proud to announce that the 45^th annual Grammy Awards will be staged in New York at Madison Square Garden on February 23^rd, 2003. The show will be broadcast by CBS Television to an international audience of over two billion people in 180 countries. Enjoy the Music.com, who are proud members of the the Recording Academy who conduct the Grammy Awards, will once again be reporting virtually live as we have done in 2001 and 2002. Twenty years after the Grammy Awards were first held in the old Madison Square Garden, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, "It is particularly meaningful that the Recording Academy has decided to bring back an event that showcases some of the music industry's most talented artists." Please feel free to see Enjoy the Music.com's 2001 coverage by clicking here and our 2002 coverage by clicking here.

01 / 21 / 13

  Gryphon Audio Designs, a longstanding and multi-award earning company based in Denmark, is now shipping their new semi-active, four-tower Gryphon Pendragon (€150,000) reference speaker system. Conceived to be partnered with Gryphon's Pandora preamplifier and Mephisto (stereo) or Mephisto Solo (monoblock) power amplifiers, the three-way Gryphon Pendragon system employs a bass tower with eight 8" bass drivers per channel driven by a custom-designed 1000 Watt Gryphon Class A/B power amplifier. This speaker system includes an open baffle mounted tower with a two meter long dipolar planar magnetic thin-film ribbon that produces frequencies between 200 Hz to 18 kHz with no crossover in its operating range. To reach the uppermost highs, along the other drivers is a vertical array of four dipolar Air Motion Transformer super-tweeters specified to beyond 32 kHz. The Gryphon Audio Pendragon floorstanding speaker is available in what Gryphon describes as "virtually unlimited custom finish options". Overall system response is from 16 Hz to 32 kHz, there are separate active bass crossover networks for each channel isolated in bass tower (see photo). To ensure high fidelity, the reinforced low-diffraction open baffle allows for excellent dispersion of the sound for the upper ranges. The sealed bass enclosures has extensive internal bracing for solidity and uncolored bass response. Internally, the cabinet has a combination of pure wool and synthetic interior damping materials. There is also an included remote control for Q setting, Bass Level and Low Cut. An integrated Linkwitz-Greiner Q Controller with preset and custom Q settings is ideal low frequency integration in any room and naturally internal cabinet wiring is from Gryphon Audio.

Ayon Audio has many new products including their Orthos II XS 300+300 watt Class A monoblock amplifiers ($35k per pair), Ayon Audio S-5 Media Player ($16.8k), Spheris Tube Power Supply/Tube Preamp ($30k), Triton III tube integrated stereo amplifier 125+125 watts Class A ($12.5k) and lastly their Ayon Audio Spirit III tube integrated stereo amplifier with 60+60 watts in pure Class A ($5.1k). Pictured here is the new Ayon Audio S-5 Media Player that employs a carefully designed tube power supply for the ultimate in performance. The internal preamplifier section is tubed as is the critical Class A analog output stage. According to the company, "The S-5 offers new dimensions of transparency and holographic. It immediately shows a large soundstage, greater transient speed top-to-bottom, purer resolution of low-level detail and expanded dynamic contrasts, with more bass slam, definition and extension. Compromise was not built into the S-5 design." This 24-bit/192kHz DAC-enabled unit is a full-featured network music player/DAC/Preamp with a QVGA 3.5" TFT front display. For Internet radio, vTuner in included and the unit easily handles UPnP streaming from PC via 100base-T Ethernet/Wi-Fi. Of course there is also USB support for streaming audio files including FLAC, AIFF, AAC, HE-AAC, LPCM and there is support for NetAPI with Ayon app for iPad, iPhone/iPod and Android. Digital inputs include S/PDIF, I2S , AES/EBU, BNC and TosLink plus two USB Type A inputs. In the analog domain, there are two pairs of analog line input via unbalanced RCA. For analog output is a pair of balanced XLR plus a digital output via S/PDIF. The high grade aluminum chassis is brushed anodized and anti-vibration-resonant plus non-magnetic for ultimate product performance.

01 / 18 / 13

  HDtracks has just released the remastered Michael Jackson Thriller album in 176kHz/24-bit! There probably needs no description for the performer and the album, as we all know them well. Michael Jackson's album Thriller won the Grammy for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Performance (Male), Best Rock Vocal Performance (Male), Best R&B Vocal Performance (Male), Best Rhythm & Blues Song and Best Engineered Recording - Non-Classical. "The Girl Is Mine (feat. Paul McCartney)" reached #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Charts and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The list goes on and on with hits from this recording. The universally accepted King of Pop's legendary masterpiece, Thriller, remains the bestselling album of all time. Produced by Quincy Jones, this landmark pop recording showcases Jackson's undeniable genius. Thriller features the classics "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," "The Girl Is Mine," "Thriller," "Beat It," "Billie Jean," "Human Nature," "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" and more. You can visit HDtracks right now and download this and many other albums in high resolution audio by clicking here.

Tacet's has released their new recording The Koroliov Series Vol. XIV Ludwig Von Beethoven Sonatas op. 101 and op. 106 'Hammerklavier' (€17.60). With Evgeni Koroliov on piano as conductor Evgeni Koroliov makes this easy for the listener. As a matter of course, he takes one by the hand and shows something familiar - so much that one already knew but just could not express in words or tones. He speaks in a way that makes one believe one is listening to a relative. What, then, does Koroliov communicate from Beethoven? First of all, says Tacet, he exposes the structures, as always, allowing us to admire the artistry in the last sonatas. Beyond that, he knows a lot of other things about him - but you should have him tell you those things himself. Like all Tacet recordings, this is minimally mic'ed and recorded to very high audiophiles standards.

TGIFMUSIC
Since HDTracks is now offering Michael Jackson's Thriller in high resolution.... Enjoy the Music :)

01 / 17 / 13

  ALO Audio's Continental V3 ($529) portable headphone tube amplifier is the newest generation of the company's popular Continental amplifier line. This latest edition features a new old stock Thomson 6111 vacuum tube and a specially designed output stage. Utilizing the highly reliable French made New Old Stock (NOS) Thomson 6111 tube, the Continental V3's tubes are individually tested for reliability and sonic integrity before installation. Once installed, a microphonic dampening epoxy is added to reduce potential noise. The output stage of The Continental V3 has been carefully designed to easily drive both demanding headphones and sensitive IEMs, while also delivering a full and engaging musical experience. On the front of the unit are 1/8" gold plated stereo headphone input and output jacks, with a central volume knob, High/Low gain switch and power switch.

Glow Audio's new Amp Two ($1508) is a push/pull stereo tube amplifier producing 12 watts per channel using EL84 power tubes. Like the classic Glow Amp One, it is assembled by hand utilizing point-to-point wiring to ensure years of durability, reliability, and superior performance. Choice of colors for the Amp Two include gloss black and gloss white. In voicing the Amp Two, the company turned to DeHavilland Audio's Kara Chaffee, who worked with our engineers to get the best sound possible out of the amplifier. For those who need more power than the Glow Amp One provides, the Glow Two's 12.5 watts per channel may be the solution. According to Glow Audio, "The amp has a classic sound. It has the punch of a good push/pull amp, without the graininess that is so characteristic of many push/pull amps in its price range. It has the sweet high end of the EL84, a tight, impressive bass output, and a natural sounding mid range. It sounds wonderful on a wide range of music." 

01 / 16 / 13

  Enjoy the Music.com now offers you a very advanced sneak peek at the February 2013 edition of The Absolute Sound (Issue 230)! This edition of The Absolute Sound features reviews of the NuForce HAP-100 preamplifier/headphone amplifier, Z-Infinity Audio Z120F tube power amplifier, Cambridge Audio Azur 851C CD Player/DAC, Zesto Leto linestage, Esoteric D-07X DAC, DSPeaker Anti-Mode 2.0, Von Schweikert Audio VR-44 Aktive loudspeaker, Lamm ML2.2 single-ended triode amplifier plus much more! In Robert Harley's editorial titled Back To The Future he says, "We've become so accustomed to using terms such as hertz, ohms, and farads that it's easy to forget that these values were named after the scientists who discovered some of the fundamental properties of nature that make music reproduction possible. We take for granted the technology of the modern world without thinking about the insight, imagination, dedication, and long working hours behind the discoveries on which that technology is based. It's worth looking back on just a few of these individuals and considering how their contributions form the foundation of audio." You can see the complete table of contents and editorial of TAS by clicking here.

01 / 15 / 13

  Eddie Current, a high-end audio company specializing in hand-crafted vacuum tube amplifiers, has released their new electrostatic headphone amplifier the Electra ($3500, with capacitor upgrade being an additional $50). Designed specifically to drive most electrostatic headphones, this fully balanced input-to-output headphone amplifier combines vacuum-tube technology with coupling magnetics to "bringing a richness to the lively, transparent soundstage associated with electrostatic headphone listening". Features of the Electra include custom-made Eddie Current headphone sockets, one for the standard 580V bias and the other user defined; polished top plate; laser-etched nomenclature; and a separate, compact power supply unit. Frequency response is from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, SNR is 80dB and THD is less than 0.25 % @ 300 VRMS out. Tube compliment includes 6SN7 for input and second stage while output tubes are EL34 or 6L6GC. Inputs are either RCA or XLR while output is a pair of Stax style headphone jacks Pro with 5 pins.

Impex Records has just release their reissue of the great recording of Beethoven's 8th and 10th with Emanuel Bay at piano. Beethoven's eighth symphony is "kinder, gentler companion to his towering, formidable ninth, the eighth violin sonata, shorter and less aggressive than the ninth, shows a more lyrical side of Beethoven". For this release, RCA coupled the 8th sonata with the 10th, also in G Major. Although RCA would often place Heifetz alongside great pianists like Rubinstein, it was with Emanuel Bay that he found the greatest chemistry. This new Impex LP is the long-overdue 180-gram debut of the famous Heifetz/Bay team. The two sonatas were recorded on October 16 and 17, 1952 using a single microphone. These monaural masterpieces come closer to capturing the true Heifetz tone than many concerto recordings of the stereo era and Impex's all analog production, featuring mastering by Kevin "Dr. Groove" Gray & Robert "Mr. Record" Pincus and pressing at Record Technology Inc. Strictly limited to 2,000 pressings, this will surely become the next great collectable reissue from Impex Records.

01 / 14 / 13

  With the CES 2013 / T.H.E. Show Las Vegas 2013 in the books, we show enthusiasts now turn our attention to AXPONA Audio Expo 2013 that will be held at the beautiful four Diamond rated Doubletree by Hilton at Chicago O'Hare from March 8th through 10th. After visiting over 20 venues, including many of the finest in the country, Doubletree by Hilton was chosen because it met and exceeded AXPONA's standards for the quality you have come to expect. AXPONA Audio Expo, now in their fifth year, offers demonstrations of home audio playback equipment and software replicating live music as accurately as possible to the public. Attendees have direct contact with designers and manufacturer-trained personnel while listening to the latest equipment available demonstrated throughout the venue. A variety of educational seminars will be conducted by leading authorities within the high-end audio field to greatly benefit attendees. For those flying in, there will be a free airport shuttle to the hotel. Various size meeting rooms will have premiere equipment whilst many hotel rooms will also be filled with high-end audio and video gear. Active displays means attendees can bring their own music and listen to it on top quality audio systems. AXPONA 2013 is expected to be covered by many print and online media sources too. Come see Enjoy the Music.com's past three years of AXPONA event coverage by clicking here.

Music Industry News 10 Years Ago
Gryphon Audio Designs of Denmark is proud to announce the introduction of the Adagio CD player. The Adagio ($6,900) is replacing Gryphon's CDP1 that introduced the Gryphon upsample technology. The Adagio is taking this technology to its next level with enhanced mechanical structure and no compromise features, all chosen for exceptional musical realism. Much attention was given to the analog output circuits in the Adagio. Discrete Build circuitry, true "Class A" with no negative feedback. The signal passes a minimum of components and the analog filter of first order is said to have minimal influence on the audio frequencies. The analog filter uses a polypropylene capacitor with very high slew rate and tight tolerance. All resistors in the analog outputs are SMD (Surface Mount Device) types with low induction and excellent sonic performance. Other features include:

* Dual differential 24-bit/96kHz D/A converters with separate regulated power supplies.
* Upsampling to 24-bit/96kHz for enhanced sonic performance.
* Two custom-build, temperature compensated crystal oscillators with better than 5ppm accuracy.
* Completely isolated power supplies for the digital section and the transport/display.
* Modified dual digital servo transport with a fixed pick-up mechanism.
* True "Class A", discrete-build, no negative feedback analog output circuits.
* Separate custom-build C-core transformers for left and right analog sections.
* 12,000 pF power capacitor banks per channel.
* True dual mono configuration.
* Ultra-short signal path with minimal internal wiring.
* Four-layer printed circuit board for minimal noise and optimal signal transfer.
* Both balanced and single-ended analog outputs.
* Balanced 110ohm AES/EBU and 75 Ohm S/PDIF digital outputs.
* Full remote controlled operation.

01 / 11 / 13

  Enjoy the Music.com has just posted number 6 issue 4 of HIFICRITIC magazine. This edition of HIFICRITIC includes reviews of the SP Acoustics SP1, DAB digital radio, Dan D'Agostino's new power amps, upgrading a Naim SuperCap to DR spec, Jason Kennedy discovers networks can sound better than computers, Ortofon's Anna high end cartridge, fifteen USB cables compared and more. In his editorial, Paul Messenger says, "As a journalist interested in news stories, I guess I should be grateful for the whole DAB saga and the threats of FM radio switch off, as the topic has kept me in stories since at least 1998, and still shows no sign of reaching any sort of conclusion. Some idea of the political chicanery surrounding the whole mess is found in Robert Sinden's feature starting on page 11, but the implications for us, as the PB consumers, are equally exasperating." You can see the complete table of contents and editorial of HIFICRITIC by clicking here.

01 / 04 / 13

  Enjoy has just posted Hi-Fi World's February 2013 edition including the complete editorial and table of contents. This issue includes reviews of the Meridian 818 complex digital preamplifier, Exposure 2010 S2 DAC, Halide DAC HD, Samsung DB-8500m Blu-ray player, Rega Apollo-R CD player, Naim NAC-N 172 XS preamplifier and much more! The editorial by Noel Keywood says, "I read dire warnings about HMV's health and future as a retailer of those spinning discs we have known and loved for so long. First they were black and shattered if you dropped them – not a great idea. They then got modern, flexy and durable and sounded rather good. Then we stepped into the modern world with lasers and now – puff – it has all gone. Well, it is going fast." See the complete February table of contents and editorial of Hi-Fi World by clicking here.