High-End Audio / Audiophile & Music Industry News

01 / 07 / 25

Part 8: Capital Audiofest 2024 Large Rooms Part 1
Lovely sounds at CAF 2024's large exhibit rooms.
Capital Audiofest 2024 Show Report By Rick Becker
After finally getting back to the office, return with me now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, circa November 2024, where I proceed on the 3rd Floor to the large rooms overlooking the Atrium floor. I'll start with the Twinbrook room, closest to Olive's Restaurant. MBL (or mbl, as the Germans like it spelled) is one of the most elite major brands in the industry. There is a timelessness to this brand, anchored by the technology of its omnidirectional speakers, that evolves slowly only as the technology of the industry itself evolves. I can imagine that most customers see mbl gear as their "forever" purchases, allowing them to target other luxuries with their wealth. It doesn't show up on the used market very often…except for a DAC or CD player being displaced by a new streamer.
---> Part 8: Capital Audiofest 2024 Large Rooms Part 1.

01 / 06 / 25

CES 2025 In Las Vegas Begins Today
CES 2025, the world's premier tech event, will be held from January 7th through 10th, at the Las Vegas Convention Center and surrounding venues. This highly anticipated annual event, organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), brings together the brightest minds and most innovative companies from around the globe to showcase their latest advancements in technology. With a focus on fostering growth and exploring future trends, CES 2025 promises to be a melting pot of ideas and innovations, ranging from smart cities and digital health to automotive technology, home audio networking, immersive experiences, and beyond. CES serves as a launchpad for groundbreaking products and services, providing a platform for industry leaders to connect, collaborate, and unveil their latest innovations. Live demonstrations and keynote presentations from industry titans offer attendees an immersive experience that transcends traditional trade shows.

While there are an abundance of premium audio shows within the USA and throughout the  world, there is still a segment at CES 2025 that showcases high-end audio gear, which is set to accommodate audiophiles and casual listeners alike with state-of-the-art sound technologies. This year's high-end audio section will feature cutting-edge innovations in audiophile-grade headphones, speakers, sound systems, and consumer-friendly wireless audio technologies, promising to revolutionize how we experience sound. Attendees will have the opportunity to experience firsthand the advancements in spatial audio, immersive sound experiences, and high-resolution audio, with major companies unveiling products designed to deliver unparalleled audio quality. CES exhibitors will highlight the latest trends in noise-canceling technology, soundbars, and home theater systems, as well as emerging technologies that aim to bring studio-quality sound into the home. With an emphasis on both performance and design, the home and personal audio segment at CES 2025 is poised to showcase mainstream brands within the audio industry, offering both stereo and immersive sound for everyone passionate about high-fidelity sound.

01 / 03 / 25

Hi-Fi+ January 2025 High-End Audio Magazine
Editorial: It's All Good
Meet Your Maker: Dr. Matthew Webster, CEO Of YG Acoustics
Antipodes Audio Oladra Music Server
Master Fidelity NADAC D/NADAC C DAC And CLock
Thrax Audio Sirens Stand-Mount Loudspeaker
Cambridge Audio EXA100/EXN100 Integrated Amplifier & Streamer
Piega Coax 611 Floorstanding Loudspeaker
conrad-johnson ART150 Stereo Power Amplifier
Roksan Caspian 4G Streaming Integrated Amplifier
Quiescent T500VA Balanced Mains Supply
...And Much More!

Within this month's editorial, Alan Sircom says "The WWI French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau famously once said, "Generals always fight the last war." That statement applies as much in audio as it did in the trenches of Ypres. Although, fortunately, audio's butcher's bill is a lot lighter. We're in 2025, now. We didn't get replicants or flying cars, but a quarter of a century into the millennium, we need to stop thinking like we are still living in the last one. What's great about right now in the audio world is we are living in an 'it's all good' time. It doesn't matter whether you want to listen to music on LP, tape, CD, SACD, streamed, downloaded, on compact cassette, MiniDisc (yes, there are still collectors) or sent by semaphore. Nobody really cares whether you listen using tubes, solid-state, IC-based, in Class A, AB, D, or F#. If you want to play music on headphones, boxes, panels, horns or by someone tapping out a rhythm on your eyeballs... there has never been such diversity of music acquisition and enjoyment."
---> Hi-Fi+'s January 2025 High-End Audio Magazine Issue.

01 / 01 / 25

January High-End Audio Review Magazine & CAF Show Report
Our January 2025 issue celebrates Enjoy the Music.com's 30 years of continuous service to music lovers, audiophiles, and immersive sound enthusiasts alike! We are truly grateful to you, our longstanding loyal readership and newcomers too. Over the past 30 years, our luxurious premium audio industry has grown and flourished far beyond our wildest expectations in 1995. With vinyl LPs and analog reel-to-reel tape bringing the many joys of great-sounding music within our homes, virtually all of us also enjoy recording studio quality lossless Hi-Res Music streaming. During 2025, Enjoy the Music.com plans various features and other highlights during the past 30 years of being a service to music lovers globally. We wish everyone a very happy New Year and as always, in the end what really matters is that you... enjoy the music!
---> January High-End Audio Review Magazine & CAF Show Report.

Happy High-Fidelity Premium Audio New Year!
It's going to be a very good one!
Article By Roger Skoff
No matter how you look at it, 2024 was not the best year yet for our hi-fi/high fidelity music/audio hobby. People who already had a good audio system just kept it, buying little else. After worldwide inflation, people without systems and of ordinary means were sufficiently concerned about keeping food on the table, shoes on their feet, and gas in their car, that they put off any purchases they didn't think absolutely necessary – including new, even otherwise affordable, high-performance audio gear; and, even though the rich – including, apparently, a surprising number of billionaires – bought ultra-expensive, Ultra High-End Audio gear (including multi-hundred-thousand-dollar electronics and near-million-dollar speaker systems) in surprising quantity, it wasn't enough to keep our industry prosperous.
---> Happy High-Fidelity Premium Audio New Year!

PureAudioProject Duet 15 Loudspeaker Review
A benchmark performance open baffle loudspeaker.
Review By Dr. Jules Coleman
Featuring the extraordinary Voxativ Pife full range driver mated to a comparably fast 15" woofer, the PureAudioProject (PAP) Duet 15 offers the listener an unrivaled, relaxed, unhurried, yet fully resolved natural and immediate musical experience that box speakers, for the most part, can only dream of providing, and one that competitor open baffle designs will struggle, most likely with only limited success, to equal. These speakers are unassuming, seductive, and enthralling. I found myself unable to resist falling into the music's awaiting arms for the better part of the several months I was fortunate enough to have them in my home. The term 'open baffle' is vague. The standard design consists of a single baffle (think of the 'front baffle' of an enclosed speaker) on which one or more drivers are affixed. All open baffle speakers produced by PureAudioProject are of this sort.
---> PureAudioProject Duet 15 Loudspeaker Review.

World Premiere Review!
FiiO S15 Music Streamer, Hi-Res DAC, And Bluetooth Receiver Review
The FiiO S15's ease of use and impressive features is matched by its' excellent sound quality.
Review By Tom Lyle
I am a proponent of FiiO's portable digital audio players (DAPs). Since I'm an audiophile practically obsessed with music but cannot sit in front of my main audio system to listen to music 24/7, using a DAP is not an option but a must. I've auditioned many DAPs in the past, and since the spring of 2024, I've been using FiiO's top-of-the-line M17 "Portable Desktop-Class Music Player" daily. It has the best sound quality of any sub-$2000 DAP I've ever heard. When I was offered the opportunity to review FiiO's new S15 Music Streamer / Hi-Res DAC /  Bluetooth Receiver, I immediately said "yes." After FiiO began marketing their all-in-one desktop system, the approximately 6" square R7, in early 2023, they decided to continue developing this type of product and now offer audiophiles and music lovers the subject of this review: their component-sized S15, a streamer that can also be used as a preamp, a DAC, and a Bluetooth receiver.
---> FiiO S15 Music Streamer, Hi-Res DAC, And Bluetooth Receiver Review.

Resistors
Once upon a time, the tolerance of resistors was an issue.
Article By Grey Rollins
My interest in electronics began at an early age. The folks who lived diagonally across the street from our family would throw out old pieces of stereo gear that no longer worked. Now, you could argue that perhaps they should have paid a little more so as to get higher quality equipment that wouldn't fail so quickly, but I'm grateful that they didn't. As soon as I saw the tell-tale glint of sun on metal and plastic by the road, I would scuttle across the road as fast as my eight year-old legs would carry me to claim my new prize. I would take it apart and stare at the multi-colored parts for hours, trying to figure out how it worked. I stood no better chance than an alien attempting to make sense of a square dance, but that didn't stop me.. Time passed and I learned to distinguish between resistors, capacitors, inductors, transistors, and tubes (this was a while back).
---> Learn More About Resistors.

Art Dudley's The Intro
Editorial By Art Dudley
Passions run high among music lovers. We vilify "bad" musicians (the ones we dislike), and we elevate marginally functional savants with a couple of two-minute singles and some album filler under their belts. When it comes to more unique and productive figures like Phil Spector, Jimi Hendrix, Wilhelm Furtwängler, John Cage, or [insert your own heroes and villains here], music fans either revere them as gods or dismiss them as meaningless. Sometimes there are shades in between, but perspective is at a premium. This tendency to paint things black or white spills over to the equipment we use to play back our favorite recordings. I've seen the cognoscenti dismiss people on the basis of no more information than their choice of power amp, though I suspect few of us are quite so one-dimensional in truth. Anyone with an internet connection can publish broadsides proclaiming their love for equipment and music and aim verbal barrages at their musical "enemies."
---> Art Dudley's Intro Article From Listener Magazine.

Many more reviews & articles are within our Review Magazine.

12 / 27 / 24

Southwest Audio Fest 2025 Show Information
Now in their second year, the Southwest Audio Fest (SWAF) high-end audio show by the dynamic duo Gary Gill (Capital Audiofest) and Lou Hinkley (Pacific AudioFest / Daedalus Audio) brings magical music to Dallas. SWAF 2025 follows their sensational success with the popular Pacific Audio Fest event. Attendees may listen to many of the world's top manufacturers who create a wide variety of exciting home and portable audio products. Within this expansive Resort environment, bask in luxurious sounds that caress your ears and bring newfound meaning to many of the songs you've heard many times in the past. All this and more within a curated experience filled with fine art and acres of event space.

This just in from the show promoter: "

SWAF 2025 Includes:
• 20+ Large Listening Rooms booked with big name brands! 
• 60 Standard Listening Rooms booking now
• Vibrant Marketplace in the Atrium
• Thousands of records to dig through!

12 / 26 / 24

Kimber Kable Naked Interconnects Review
Let's go skinny dipping... with an impressive leap in cabling technology!
Review By Paul L. Schumann
Ok, we've all done it. We've swum in the water in our birthday suits. It may have been in a swimming pool, maybe in a lake or stream, maybe even in the ocean. I don't want to know your details, and I'm sure you don't want to know mine. But one way or another, we got naked outside and took the plunge.  And no matter the outcome, it was a memorable experience. Such as with the Kimber Kable Naked Interconnects. My familiarity with Kimber Kable goes back further than I like to admit. Back then I was still a novice to the world of high-end interconnects. It was 1997 and I just upgraded my CD player. When I got it home and plugged it into my system, my wife and I noticed that it didn't sound right. The tonal quality was pinched and it sounded nothing like it did in the showroom of the audio salon where I bought it.
---> Kimber Kable Naked Interconnects Review.

Pass Laboratories INT-25 Solid-State Integrated Amplifier Review
A fantastic sounding Class A stereo amplifier!
Review By Tom Lyle
Lest one think that this review is simply not only more evidence that I have somehow formed an untoward relationship with Pass Laboratories, I'd build my defense around the fact that every time I reviewed one of their high-end audio components, I was "assigned" the task. Sure, the fact that I use not only the power and preamplifier but also the headphone amplifier I use as references, must not help my case. The next thing I know I'm asked to review their INT-25 integrated amplifier. It's tough work, but someone has to do it. Yes, I'm grateful for my problems. In addition to the fact that it is designed and manufactured by Pass Laboratories, there are quite a few other reasons why the INT-25 is not an average integrated amplifier. Most notably, the INT-25 amplifier circuit is Class A.
---> Pass Laboratories INT-25 Stereo Integrated Amplifier Review.

12 / 24 / 24

Happy Holidays From Enjoy the Music.com!
Everyone at Enjoy the Music.com wishes you and yours a wonderful holiday season. As always, in the end what really matters is that you...

Enjoy the Music!

12 / 20 / 24

Part 7: Rooms 301 To 325 On The Third Floor
Thrilling stereo systems on the third floor.
Capital Audiofest 2024 Show Report By Rick Becker
Dropping down from the 6th Floor to the 3rd, there was a hallway of sleeping rooms filled with some key players directly across from the lobby and registration. To access it you had to walk around the perimeter of the Atrium without descending into it. The first of these rooms, if you had walked around the left side of the Atrium, was the Audio Note UK room. This British company supports a strong presence at North American shows and I always see them in Montreal and Toronto, as well as Capital and AXPONA. I don't cover Western shows anymore, so I can't vouch for them. Their sound is as consistent as pumpkin pie with a slightly warm, musical presentation with just the right amount of bloom for many people.
---> Part 7: Rooms 301 To 325 On The Third Floor.

12 / 19 / 24

Naim Audio Solstice Turntable System Review
A great turntable package!
Review By Alan Sircom
It's a little strange that for all its importance in vinyl replay over its first 48 years as a manufacturer, Naim Audio has never made a turntable. Sure, there have been power supplies, phono stages, and even the Aro tonearm, and yes... a heavily modified turntable or two were bounced around the Salisbury-based company's 'skunkworks'. But a company that was one of the two defining vinyl brands for more than a generation of music lovers never made a turntable; until the Summer of 2021. Solstice is that first complete turntable from Naim Audio, a 500 turntable run special edition turn-key package launched – as befits the name – on the Summer Solstice (Naim's Salisbury HQ is precisely 2.5 metric Druids from Stonehenge, and sometimes that rubs off in moments of uncontrollable tie-dye).
---> Naim Audio Solstice Turntable System Review.

Raidho TD 3.8 Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review
Wonderfully cohesive and engaging.
Review By Dr. Matthew Clott
The art of weaving pros allows us to convey description, imagery, opinion, impression, and emotion. Yet Raidho's TD 3.8 floorstanding loudspeaker, as reviewed here, lends itself to the elegance of the solitary word; my notes are awash with them.... "Behold, Shimmer, Brilliant, Wow, Delicious, Holographic, Cohesive, Decompressive." I think I made up the last one, but I'll explain later.... Raidho, as a company, has gone through some changes. The Raidho of old has matured, retaining much of the DNA of its' previous incarnation while looking to the future with a redefined path. This metamorphosis has resulted in some voicing changes and a slightly different design philosophy yet retained the passion for physical beauty and all-out audiophile performance without restrictions.
---> Raidho TD 3.8 Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review.

12 / 18 / 24

Florida International Audio Expo 2025 Show In Tampa
In about two months, the Florida International Audio Expo 2025 takes place from February 21st through 23rd at the Sheraton Tampa Brandon, the event's new, and larger, venue. The Florida International Audio Expo will showcase many floors filled with exhibit spaces featuring the latest in home and portable audio gear. You may enjoy an abundance of great sound from mono to stereo and immersive, plus various exhibit room will feature never before seen new products! Show attendees are the world's first to experience many of the best new high-performance, hi-resolution modern audio products. With many floors and large conference rooms of demonstrations to explore, attendees can experience luxurious immersive premium audio electronics, loudspeakers, turntables, and high-end audio headphones produced by manufacturers from all around the world.

The 2025 Florida International Audio Expo is within easy driving distance to local attractions including Disneyworld, Tampa Busch Gardens, and the Florida Aquarium. Don't forget about Universal Studios, and of course NASA to see a SpaceX rocket launch or two! Yes, you and your family may see a SpaceX rocket launch live and in person. Let's not forget that America's #1 beach is close by too, and February is excellent weather in Florida (we promise you no cold snow)! The Sheraton Tampa Brandon provides an elevated experience, plus you can use their complimentary shuttle to any destination within three miles of the hotel. This includes the popular Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Westfield Brandon, and the Florida State Fairgrounds. Learn more at our Florida International Audio Expo 2025 (FIAE 2025) show report page.

12 / 17 / 24

United Record Pressing Celebrates Their 75th Anniversary
Nashville's United Record Pressing (URP), founded in 1949 and is said to be the USA's largest plant with 60 presses and the capacity to produce over 100,000 records per day, is celebrating their 75th anniversary! The company is embracing cellular manufacturing and world-class techniques to enable URP is seeking to produce higher quality vinyl LPs while also ensuing reliability and product quality. According to the company, "URP's transition to cellular manufacturing marks a significant leap forward in efficiency and quality control. This advanced approach, based on principles pioneered in modern electronics manufacturing, is led by a dynamic team of new and veteran operations leaders. They organized the company's 24 new pressing machines and 40 restored vintage presses into dedicated cells. This alignment allows URP to handle projects of any size – from large, major label releases to community-oriented indie albums – while reducing lead times, honoring visual creativity, and ensuring consistent quality. Such innovation not only provides a faster and more reliable alternative to non-U.S. production but offers a more attractive option to foreign-owned pressing plants."

"Complementing this," their press release continues, "URP has invested in programmable, digital, and high-precision technologies to prevent plating issues before they impact production. Collaborations with Sibert Instruments apply optical disc manufacturing precision to the stamper fabrication process and finishing processes, resulting in much faster and better-quality turnaround of test pressings. As a Sony Green Partner, URP prioritizes sustainability. Our commitment includes partnering with industry leaders to advance sustainable practices. We are proud to offer bio-vinyl, an ISCC+ certified, 100% recyclable material that allows artists to produce their records in an environmentally friendly way without compromising quality or record life. By combining state-of-the-art technology with a steadfast dedication to craftsmanship, URP ensures every record is a sonically pure, visually distinctive, sustainable representation of the artist's vision."

12 / 16 / 24

Part 6: Rooms 637 To 661 At Capital Audiofest 2024
More wonderful music on the 6th floor at CAF 2024.
Capital Audiofest 2024 Show Report By Rick Becker
Continuing on the 6th Floor, I always look forward to seeing and hearing what Jeff Wells is up to. He is an established boutique manufacturer of very high-quality sounding components. The poster by his door gave an inkling of what was inside, but still relied on one of those chessboard codes to get to the price list (QR Code). Jeff has typically mixed it up by showing with a different speaker at each show, which helps show off what his components can do under differing circumstances. This applies to folks who attend shows year after year but is less relevant to those who only go once a decade. The Wells Audio room sounded the best I've ever heard this year with the top-of-the-Peaks series Summit speaker from YG Acoustics.
---> Part 6: Rooms 637 To 661 At Capital Audiofest 2024.

12 / 15 / 24

World Premiere Review!
FiiO S15 Music Streamer, Hi-Res DAC, And Bluetooth Receiver Review
The FiiO S15's ease of use and impressive features is matched by its' excellent sound quality.
Review By Tom Lyle
I am a proponent of FiiO's portable digital audio players (DAPs). Since I'm an audiophile practically obsessed with music but cannot sit in front of my main audio system to listen to music 24/7, using a DAP is not an option but a must. I've auditioned many DAPs in the past, and since the spring of 2024, I've been using FiiO's top-of-the-line M17 "Portable Desktop-Class Music Player" daily. It has the best sound quality of any sub-$2000 DAP I've ever heard. When I was offered the opportunity to review FiiO's new S15 Music Streamer / Hi-Res DAC /  Bluetooth Receiver, I immediately said "yes." After FiiO began marketing their all-in-one desktop system, the approximately 6" square R7, in early 2023, they decided to continue developing this type of product and now offer audiophiles and music lovers the subject of this review: their component-sized S15, a streamer that can also be used as a preamp, a DAC, and a Bluetooth receiver.
---> FiiO S15 Music Streamer, Hi-Res DAC, And Bluetooth Receiver Review.

12 / 13 / 24

audioXpress' January 2025 Issue
Editorial: New Speaker Priorities
Modern Op-Amp Distortion Tests Part 1
APL Virtuoso v2 Binaural Renderer
Perturbation Methods In Audio Engineering
Purifi 1ET9040BA Balanced Class-D Amplifier Module
Market Update: Performance Gains and Speaker Innovations
The Rise Of Hybrid True Wireless Stereo Earbuds
Enhancing In-Vehicle Communication
The Path To Standardized Phonograph Equalization
And Much More!

Within his editorial, J. Martins says "Many brilliant speaker engineers I know, particularly those more actively involved in the industry, have in common a shared understanding of the limitations and strong compromises needed to create products that actually reach consumers. They are fully aware that the speaker is the weakest link in the sound chain and that its efficiency is lower than anything they dare to discuss. Paradoxically, they all share a profound belief in their mission to achieve performance gains according to the intended application of their work – with listening performance being the ultimate goal, albeit with the inevitable compromises. But performance can be an elusive metric, depending on the intended application goals of the finished product. A speaker driver is just a component in a loudspeaker system design, as Vance Dickason reminded us in his recently (re)published text about the purpose of his Test Bench characterizations. "Whether a particular driver ends up sounding good or bad to a large extent depends on the application and the skill set of the systems engineer designing the product."
---> audioXpress January 2025 Issue.

12 / 12 / 24

Enjoy the Music.com Exclusive!
Métronome Technologie's World-Class Kalista Mantax DAC
Musical revelations in Vienna!
Coverage By Greg Weaver
Thursday morning, November 16th (2023) found myself on an airplane bound for Vienna, Austria. I had been invited to the private launch event for the new flagship Kalista Mantax DAC, to be held at the Adagio Vienna City Hotel on Saturday, November 18th. The Adagio Vienna City sits just south of the Donaukanal, an arm of the nearby Danube River, and just immediately west of where the Wiental Kanal flows into it, bordering Vienna's city center. This places it just inside what is known as "The Ring," the popular name given to a series of wide tree-lined boulevards that encircle nearly the entire center of the city. "The Ring" is about six and a half kilometers long (~ four miles) and arguably offers more historical sights lining its edges than any other road in the world.
---> Métronome Technologie's World-Class Kalista Mantax DAC.

World Premiere Review!
LCH Audio B1610 Subwoofers
Stack Audio Auvo Isolators
Synergistic Research Vibratron
An audiophile special ménage à trois.
Review By Rick Becker
Actually, neuroscience has come a long way since Schrodinger's day, and audiophiles might be able to offer some suggestions, too. Let me tell you about three innovative items that helped those old songs move me even further. In typical audiophile fashion, I'm always on the lookout to improve the sound quality of my system in search of more musical delight. A pattern that has emerged over the past two decades is that my speakers always seem to get better when I improve the components and add ancillary tweaks to the rig. Funny how that happens. Many people would sooner go out and buy a new speaker. But I've developed somewhat of a reputation for adding tweaks rather than spending huge sums on major components. The opportunity to explore Axpona earlier this year turned up two products in particular that I wanted to review and a third opportunity subsequently came my way from Great Britain.
---> LCH Audio B1610 Subwoofers, Stack Audio Auvo Isolators, And Synergistic Research Vibratron Review.

Previous High-End Audio News
For previous high-end audio and music industry news click here.