High-End Audio Industry News

02 / 28 / 13

  Enjoy the Music.com now has the March 2013 edition of The Absolute Sound (Issue 231)! This edition of The Absolute Sound features their 2013 Editor's Choice Awards as they feature 56 pages of their top picks! Reviews in this edition include the ExaSound e20 mid-priced DAC that gives us a hint of the future of high-resolution DSD playback; Bryston B-135 SST2 integrated amplifier celebrating the company's 50 anniversary with this 135Wpc unit; Bel Canto mLink, uLink, and REF Link USB converters. In Robert Harley's editorial titled Know Your Audience he says, "I thought I'd share with you who your fellow readers are. Not surprisingly, you are highly educated (nearly half of you have post-graduate degrees), affluent (nearly 70% earn more than $100k per year), and overwhelmingly male (98.9%). Sixty percent of you bought a product you saw advertised in TAS, and nearly 90% have given advice about equipment to friends and colleagues during the past year. As for your systems, 73% own systems with a retail price of more than $10,000, nearly half have systems costing more than $20,000, and 8.5% of you own systems over $100,000. Nearly a quarter of readers have systems priced between $50,000 and $100,000. That's quite a demographic; there's no question that TAS readers are serious about their music systems. " You can see the complete table of contents and editorial of TAS by clicking here.

American high-end audio distributor Sumiko Audio  now offers the REL R-528SE powered subwoofer unit ($2799). Conceived to provide the user with reference-level sub-bass performance yet in a much smaller enclosure, and at a lower cost than REL's larger models, the new unit delivers performance for space challenged rooms. Improvements over the standard version of the R-528 include improved 500 watt amplification, upgraded cabinet bracing and driver design. RE:'s R-528SE still features both the same custom design carbon fiber 12" active drive unit and a down-firing 12" passive radiator as employed in the G-1. The 12" ABR passive radiator is also of a carbon fiber design. Each 528SE is available in hand-rubbed piano black lacquer and to further distinguish it from the standard version, the top and side name badges as well as the massive support feet are coated in nickel plated chrome for a sophisticated high-style appearance. A special proprietary REL High-Level Input cable is provided with each REL Sub-Bass System and is the preferred method of connecting the REL to your main speakers. This cable joins the REL to your system by connecting to the left and right channel speaker terminals of your amplifier or surround-sound receiver. This allows the REL to receive the exact same signal as your main speakers. REL's Natural RollOff circuitry is said to ensures superior system integration of the Sub-Bass System with the main system. The REL unit also has a .1/LFE input that works in conjunction with most multi-channel processors or surround-sound receivers. Dimensions are 15.5" x 17.5" x 17.2" (WxHxD) and the unit weighs 58 lbs.

Music Industry News 10 Years Ago
The world's largest Internet provider, AOL has signed an agreement with Sonic Solutions so AOL users can burn their own CD and DVD discs from AOL's MusicNet online music service. This marks an interesting change for a online music providers to allow ease of repeatedly burning music to disc format. "As part of our ongoing effort to make online music mainstream, it is important for us to be able to give members a wide range of options for discovering, experiencing and owning music," said Kevin Conroy, SVP and General Manager, AOL Entertainment. "We heard from members that CD burning was an important part of their desired digital music experience and we wanted to be sure that it was seamlessly integrated into our first digital music subscription service. We chose Sonic's technology for our CD and DVD burn engine to enable CD burning in our new MusicNet on AOL service because they offer a proven solution that supports a range of recording and playback devices." Mary Sauer, Senior VP of Business Development at Sonic, says, "With the explosive growth of CD and DVD recording, consumers have an almost insatiable appetite for burning their own audio and data discs. AOL is the world's premier online media company, and with Sonic's AuthorScript SDK, AOL has the ability to integrate and deliver the most robust CD and DVD burning capabilities, as they have with the new MusicNet on AOL music subscription service."

02 / 27 / 13

  Enjoy the Music.com and Hi-Fi+ highlight their five year partnership as we have just posted the March Hi-Fi+ (Issue 97)! Prestige Internet audio site Enjoy the Music.com and Europe's premier English language audio magazine Hi-Fi+ celebrate five years of a successful partnership. Key sections from each issue of Hi-Fi+ are available to Enjoy the Music.com's online readership, allowing readers from around the planet to discover even more of the joys of audio, as well as subscriptions to print and online editions of the magazine. You can see the five year partnership press release at this link, whilst those wanting to see the March issue of Hi-Fi+ can click here.

Enjoy the Music.com has just posted Hi-Fi World's April 2013 edition including the complete editorial and table of contents. This issue includes reviews of the Cabasse Pacific 3 SA loudspeakers, Atohm GT 1.0 stand mounted monitors, Pioneer SC-2022 AV receiver, Sony Xperia S Tablet, Chord SPM 1200 MkII amplifier, Leak Tl12/stereo 20 valve amplifier and much more! The editorial by Noel Keywood says, "The subject of loudspeakers brings me to a quality standard that haunts the market – the electrostatic. I've lived with and modified many in my time and love them, whilst acknowledging that they aren't for everyone. Even Rafael is in two minds about a pair of One Thing Audio Quad ESL-57s he bought the other day. What you can always say about an electrostatic is they amaze, and Martin Logan's Electromotion ESLs offer affordable amazement. Since reviewing them in our October 2011 issue we have received a steady stream of queries about them. Consequently, we revisited the Electromotion ESLs and you can read our update on them on p70." See the complete April table of contents and editorial of Hi-Fi World by clicking here.

02 / 26 / 13

  Enjoy the Music.com has just launched our Pinterest site! Now you can repin many great articles to share you love of high-end audio with others! Sure we may be a bit late to the Pin party, yet we launched it strong with links to new (March) Review Magazine reviews and other great articles! Naturally there are links to our many show reports and when a new show report or review magazine goes online you can be among the first to know. So please repin our Pinterest postings and show others your joy of music and high-end audio.

Marantz's new NA-11S1 ($3499) network audio player is currently the company's most advanced, next-generation player to date. As part of the company's prestigious Premium collection, it allows users to enjoy new media on Marantz's highest of levels. By utilizing the increasingly available high resolution downloads it creates 'studio master' quality. Inside of the unit are high current audiophile D/A converter that handles 24-bit/192kHz files plus WAV, WMA, MP3, MPEG-4 AAC, FLAC, ALAC, and DSD. Selectable digital filters allows users to tune the sound to their prefer. Analog audio circuits feature Marantz HDAM-SA2 and HDAM, and the toroidal transformer to ensure power needs. Outputs include both balanced via XLR and unbalanced RCA. The NA-11S1 network audio player's rigid copper-plated chassis has a 5mm thick aluminum top cover to minimize vibration and interference. The USB-B port works in asynchronous mode and is capable 24-bit/192kHz for such files types as FLAC and WAV. Of course Internet Radio and Streaming Services is supported via Ethernet, and AirPlay Music Streaming from iTunes or iDevices. It is also DLNA 1.5 certified, so Android integration is easy, and the USB-A port on the front panel also makes playback from an iPod/iPhone/iPad or USB devices just as simple. Marantz is a smart and modern high-end audio company and so offers an APP so popular mobile devices can control the unit.

02 / 25 / 13

  Driver manufacturer Wavecor has added the latest members of their Balanced Drive line of mid/woofers; now with three sizes to chose from including a 4.75", 6" and 7". Each size is available in either 4 or 8 Ohms, with the 6" and 7" being available in frames truncated on two opposing sides. All share the same extensive feature list including Balanced Drive motor structure for optimal drive force symmetry resulting in largely reduced even order harmonic distortion. Copper cap covering the center pole reduces voice coil inductance and to minimize variations of voice coil inductance as a function of voice coil position. The cone is made of a new paper/glass fiber mix with improved consistency and stability. Rigid die cast alu chassis with extensive venting for lower air flow speed reducing audible distortion. Vented voice coil former for reduced distortion and compression. Vented center pole with dual flares for reduced noise level at large cone excursions. There is a built-in alu flux-stabilizing ring for reduced distortion at high levels and low-loss suspension (high Qm) for better reproduction of details and dynamics. Lastly, gold plated terminals ensure long-term trouble free connection. The specific model names are WF120BD05/06 for the 4.75", WF152BD05/06 for the 6" and WF182BD09/10/11/12 for the 7" driver.

02 / 22 / 13

  The Chester Group's New York Audio Show 2013 will have respected recording engineers Darcy Proper and Jim Anderson in attendance. They earned 2013 Grammy awards for their work on Patricia Barber's album, Modern Cool in the category of Best Surround Album and they will share their expertise about the record mastering process during the New York Audio Show. The series of From Studio to You sessions are being presented by PMC Speakers, The Sound Organisation and SoundStageDirect.com. Darcy Proper will discuss how the mastering process builds a bridge between professional audio and high end audio. She will explain the similarities and differences between these two disciplines and how the mastering process works while exploring the human approach behind the gear. She will use a variety of music to illustrate her presentations. "Our mission is to provide attendees with the opportunity to not only see the latest products, but to expand their knowledge about music," said Roy Bird Chairman, Chester Group. "Having these two Grammy award winning engineers participate brings a new level of excitement and prestige to the show." The New York Audio Show takes place April 12th through 14th at the New York Palace Hotel and is produced by the Chester Group. You can see Enjoy the Music.com's live coverage of The Chester Group New York Audio Show 2013 at this link. Our 2012 New York Audio show coverage can be seen at this link.

Audio Video Productions Inc. has just announced that their annual Toronto Audio Video Entertainment Show (TAVES) will be returning to the King Edward Hotel located in Toronto, Ontario from November 1st through 3rd. TAVES is an event for consumers interested in discovering and experiencing new audio/video brands and products as well as other categories. TAVES also presents a great opportunity for industry professionals to connect with manufacturers, distributors and retailers. With some 60 different exhibitors and more than 280 brands under one roof – the event virtually guarantees that everyone will find something fascinating at the show! For those interested in exhibiting, reservations for spaces begin today. TAVES 2013 will offer further improvements and refinements over the first two editions and expects to attract thousands of qualified consumers and industry professionals. New show features will be announced in the weeks and months to follow. You can see Enjoy the Music.com's TAVES 2013 coverage at this link with our 2012 coverage here and 2011 coverage at this link.

TGIFMUSIC
Since this Friday fun has been absent for two weeks due to my recent wedding, need to make today's choice clear... the future looks bright... 90 minutes from NY to Paris.... What a beautiful world this will be. What a glorious time to be free. :)

Donald Fagen - The Nightfly (Complete Album On YouTube)

02 / 21 / 13

  Purist Audio Design has provided Enjoy the Music.com a sneak peek at their upcoming Aquila Digital AC Power Cable ($905.00 for 1 meter) that will be be revealed at the upcoming AXPONA 2013! Purist Audio did intense research and development through months of in-house testing, by sampling different cables, different builds, and different audio setups. They say that digital audio's increased sensitivity is what prompted them to design their our own version of the classic USB, first in the form of the Purist USB, and then the Purist Ultimate USB. Through research they uncovered that certain forms of shielding and materials are needed to achieve what they feel is that perfect quality in the digital audio arena. The Aquila Digital AC is a product of Purist Audio Design's over 25 years experience. They will be offering the Aquila with an optional Furutech C7 plug, which will allow it to work with devices such as the Mac Mini. You can see Enjoy the Music.com's daily live coverage of the AXPONA 2013 Chicago event at this link.

02 / 20 / 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 ifi Audio Micro iPhono MM/MC phonostage! In his review of the unit Ron Nagle says, "Pay attention! Understand the primary goal of this missive is not to just describe the recordings or even the cartridges used. It is instead to ascertain the role of the phonograph amplifier. Ideally, a phonograph amplifier should be totally transparent and add or subtract nothing on its own." We have gladly made this World Premiere review available to everyone and not just our social media friends. You can see the ifi Audio Micro iPhono MM/MC review at this link.

If you are a member of Facebook and friended us or joined our Twitter feed, you get an exclusive SneakPeek at Enjoy the Music.com's review of the Cary Audio HH-1 headphone amplifier! Dr. Bill Gaw says "The sound was clean and smooth with classic tube style sound compared to the Burson's analytical but slightly cleaner reproduction. By that I don't mean the true classic tube dull reproduction, but that of some of the best modern tube amplifiers." If you want to see Dr. Gaw's review of the Cary Audio HH-1, then come join us on our social media networks for more updates and special information postings by clicking the links below. 

Alacrity Audio now offers their impressive Caterthun Classic monitors in real oiled woods including Rosewood, Maccasar Ebony and Birds-eye Maple, plus the standard English Oak (£1999). Designed with real homes in mind, the Caterthun speakers are fitted with bi-wireable 4mm gold connections for convenience and wide compatibility. The 10 liter cabinet holds a 170mm midrange/bass drive unit and 20mm soft dome tweeter. Frequency response is from "sub-sonic" to 20 kHz, Sensitivity is 88dB/W/m and it presents an 8 Ohm impedance. Overall cabinet dimensions are 205 x 415 x 250 (WxHxD in mm) and weight is 22 lbs.

Music Industry News 10 Years Ago
It has been reported by Reuters that Nakamichi Corporation has filed for court protection from creditors. Having debits totaling 20 billion yen ($150.7 million), Nakamichi and others feel the past few years of financial struggling in the Asian and world economy have lead to lackluster sales. In fact it is expected that Nakamichi will be de-listed from the Tokyo Stock Exchange as their stock plummets to all-time lows. Many audio enthusiasts are very familiar with Nakamichi as their Dragon cassette deck still garnishes praise from music lovers worldwide. Nakamichi has a glorious and proud past with the following achievements:

Etsuro Nakamichi had a dream to bring the finest engineers and scientists together for the purpose of improving existing technologies to create world class audio and communication products.

1948 Nakamichi Corporation was founded.

1951 Developed and manufactured open reel tape decks for the "Magic Tone" label.

1957 Developed and manufactured proprietary magnetic tape heads. With the advent of the cassette media, Nakamichi was committed to attaining the finest possible performance for this format. To accomplish this, special materials and designs were developed resulting in the first tape head with reproduction capabilities from 20Hz to 20kHz.

1967 Nakamichi started manufacturing cassette decks for the most influential hi-fi companies in the world.

1972 Introduced the Nakamichi 1000. The Nakamichi 1000 was the first true high fidelity cassette deck and the world's first three head cassette deck.

1972 Debut of audio products bearing the Nakamichi name.

1977 Unveiling of the Nakamichi concert hall.

1982 The establishment of the E. Nakamichi Foundation. 
Nakamichi is committed to the future of music and musicians worldwide.

1998 Nakamichi revolutionizes Mobile CD changer technology.

2000 Several new SoundSpace products are developed and delivered to enthusiasts around the world. New models include high-end Home Theater Systems as well as additional Stereo Music Systems that appeal to the design-conscious audiophile.

02 / 19 / 13

  Triode Lab of Canada has recently debuted their MK2 2A3 SET power amplifier that produces 3.5 watts ($2880). "This is our second generation 2A3 SET Design which we originally debuted in 2002. Although those days were a 300B era, we just loved the 2A3 more. And by any standard world wide, this is what we call a good 2A3 design It took us a few years to fine tune the sound on this MK2 2A3SET, and now we really like how it is voiced. We are heating it with AC, and we are happy with the quiet result. Running DC (the path most designers take) is quieter on paper, but it just doesn't sound better than AC. The comparison is much like Analogue (AC) versus Digital (DC). And our 2A3SET is quieter than many SET amps out there heated with DC." Triode Lab took much time to carefully voice their 2A3 SET, with the unit heavily benefiting from the power supply design. They say heating the 2A3 with AC sounds better even though it may not be as technically quiet as DC on paper. Triode Lab's also employed their 'Uni-fy' rectifier stage, which accepts most rectifier tubes for sound tuning (tube rolling) in characteristic as well power handling.

02 / 18 / 13

  Enjoy the Music.com's February contest features CA Electronics sexy HS-1 headphone stand you can win for free! They are a Dutch based company where high-end audio meets spectacular Dutch design. CA Electronics unites the latest in innovative technology with precise, hand-crafted quality. From the company workshop in the Netherlands the standard is set for high-end audio world wide. For this contest one lucky winner will get a taste of their products with the CA Electronics HS-1 headphone stand. Imagine your headphones sitting on a perfectly designed, perfectly balanced, hand-made, hand-coated headphones stand, designed by CA Electronics. Made out of thick aluminum, the shape and curvation will enhance the live and looks of your precious headphone. One lucky winner will get the CA Electronics HS-1 headphone stand valued at $114. Unlike other contests online that make you do this, then that, and then some other thing, we here at Enjoy the Music.com believe in making your music fun and life easy, so all you need to do is visit this page and enter the contest.

Enjoy the Music.com's industry news is now back to our daily weekday updates as Editor and Creative Director Steven R. Rochlin has returned from his recent wedding nuptials! For those on Facebook, during the past two weeks you have been privy to various photos and of course other updates and highlights of equipment, shows, etc not seen here. If you haven't joined us yet, you can easily stay ahead of pack and get fast updates by joining us on Twitter and Facebook!

Twitter.com/EnjoyTheMusic             Facebook.com/EnjoyTheMusic5

Music Industry News 10 Years Ago
The Audio Engineering Society (AES) has the honor of assisting in the selection of important historic recordings to be included to the National Recording Registry in Washington, DC by The Library of Congress. The first fifty records (listed below) are said to have been chosen to to their importance aesthetically, culturally, and/or historically. Due to the desire to insure America's culture, the National Recording Registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000. "It's an honor to represent the AES on the National Recording Preservation Board," says Elizabeth Cohen of the AES. "Today's selection of the first 50 recordings to be entered in the National Recording registry ensures that America's sound recording heritage will ultimately survive and be available to the public for hundreds of years to come." The selection of sound recordings that were chosen are listed below:

"Around the World on the Phonograph," "The Pattison Waltz," "Fifth Regiment March" (1888-1889); the Jesse Walter Fewkes field recordings of the Passamaquoddy Indians (1890); "Stars and Stripes Forever" Military Band, Berliner Gramophone disc recording (1897); Lionel Mapleson cylinder recordings of the Metropolitan Opera (1900-1903); Scott Joplin ragtime compositions on piano rolls, Scott Joplin, piano (1900s); Booker T. Washington's 1895 Atlanta Exposition Speech (1906 recreation); "Vesti la giubba" from Pagliacci, Enrico Caruso (1907); "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," Fisk Jubilee Singers (1909); Lovey's Trinidad String Band recordings for Columbia Records (1912); "Tiger Rag," Original Dixieland Jazz Band (1918); "Arkansas Traveler" and "Sallie Gooden," Eck Robertson, fiddle (1922); "Down-Hearted Blues," Bessie Smith (1923); "Rhapsody in Blue," George Gershwin, piano; Paul Whiteman Orchestra (1924); Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings (1925-1928); Victor Talking Machine Company sessions in Bristol, Tennessee--Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest Stoneman, and others (1927); Harvard Vocarium record series, T. S. Eliot, W. H. Auden, others, reciting (1930-1940s); Highlander Center Field Recording Collection. Rosa Parks, Esau Jenkins, others (1930s-1980s); Bell Laboratories experimental stereo recordings, Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski, conductor (1931-1932); President Franklin D. Roosevelt's radio "Fireside Chats" (1933-1944); New Music Recordings series, Henry Cowell, producer (1934-1949); Description of the crash of the Hindenburg, Herbert Morrison, reporting (1937); "Who's on First," Abbott and Costello's first radio broadcast version (1938); War of the Worlds, Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater (1938); "God Bless America," Kate Smith, Radio broadcast premiere (1938); The Cradle Will Rock, Marc Blitzstein and the original Broadway cast (1938); the John and Ruby Lomax Southern States Recording Trip (1939); Grand Ole Opry, first network radio broadcast, Uncle Dave Macon, Roy Acuff (1939); "Strange Fruit," Billie Holiday (1939); Duke Ellington Orchestra "Blanton-Webster Era" recordings (1940-1942);. Bela Bartok, piano, and Joseph Szigeti, violin, in concert at the Library of Congress (1940); Rite of Spring, Igor Stravinsky conducting the New York Philharmonic (1940); "White Christmas," Bing Crosby (1942); "This Land Is Your Land," Woody Guthrie (1944). General Dwight D. Eisenhower's D-Day radio address to the Allied Nations (1944); "Koko," Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and others (1945); "Blue Moon of Kentucky," Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys (1947); "How High the Moon," Les Paul and Mary Ford (1951); Elvis Presley's Sun Records sessions (1954-1955); Songs for Young Lovers, Frank Sinatra (1955); Dance Mania, Tito Puente (1958); Kind of Blue, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, and others (1959); "What'd I Say," parts 1 and 2, Ray Charles (1959); "I Have a Dream," speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963); Freewheelin', Bob Dylan (1963); "Respect!" Aretha Franklin (1967); Philomel: for soprano, recorded soprano, and synthesized sound, Bethany Beardslee, soprano (1971); Precious Lord: new recordings of the Great Gospel Songs of Thomas Dorsey, Thomas Dorsey, Marion Williams, and others (1973); Crescent City Living Legends Collection (WWOZ radio, New Orleans) (1973-1990); "The Message," Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (1982).

02 / 09 / 13

  Bergmann Audio new Magne tonearm is a linear tracking airbearing design ($7600). The moving part of the tonearm simply floats on a thin cushion of air, and is led only by the stylus tip and the record grove. The company feels they have succeeded in building their goal of a simple construction, made with few parts in solid materials, to avoid unintended resonances and to secure optimum stability. The Magne tonearm is designed and assembled as one non-adjustable unit, which consists of an aluminum sliding pipe, carbon armtube (double tube with damping) and the head shell. The head shell is fixed completely parallel to the sliding pipe, for a perfect azimuth. The counter weight is decoupled from the armtube. The Linear tracking tonearm tracks the record as it is pressed to achieve no tracking error. The benefit is a distortion free and relaxed reproduction. An advantage of the airbearing is the tonearm's immunity to acoustic feedback, as it has no mechanical contact to the turntable. The only contact is through the stylus tip and the tonearm wire. The air supply has been the object of our greatest attention. The goal was to design a silent air supply which could be placed in the listening room and deliver an even, clean and dry air flow. The pump is an oil free long life unit, which does not require any maintenance. The impulses from the pump are absorbed in an encapsulated reservoir. This results in an even airflow to the air bearing. The air supply is mounted with a filter which prevents dust particles from entering the system. This filter is replaceable when necessary.

Schiit's Asgard 2 ($249) is an important improvement over their previous version. There is now a selectable gain switch for 6 (15.6dB) or 1.5 (3.5dB). The Alps Blue Velvet potentiometer provides for high quality volume control. Also added to the Asgard 2 versus the previous version is preamplification outputs. The unit has a high-voltage, cascoded gain stage very similar to the company's Mjolnir. This is coupled to a Class A MOSFET output stage. The Asgard 2 has an output of 1W RMS per channel into 32 and 50 Ohm loads, with only 190mW into 600 Ohms. Being fully made in the USA and coming with a five year warranty, the Schiit Asgard 2 is sold online and comes with an in-house 15 days trial, yet there is a 5% transaction fee for this and the consumer also pays for shipping. Dimensions are 9" x 6" x 2.25" and it weighs 5 lbs. Frequency response is from 2 Hz to 400 kHz (-3dB) with less than 0.008% THD. Crosstalk is less than -72dB, output impedance is less than 2 Ohms, the internal power transformer has four separate power supply rails and over 20,000uf of filter capacitance. The fully discrete, single-ended Class A amplification stage has a single voltage gain stage with no overall feedback in high gain mode. Low gain mode has 12dB of negative feedback.

02 / 06 / 13

  Enjoy the Music.com just posted the February edition of Hi-Fi+ (Issue 96)! This issue includes equipment reviews of the Kuzma Stabi-M turntable, Wilson Benesch Cardinal floorstanding loudspeaker, Micromega MyDAC digital to analogue converter, VPI Classic 4 turntable, Crystal Cables Absolute Dream signal and power cables, Nightingale Concentus CTR2 floorstanding speaker, Primare DAC 30 digital to analogue converter, Naim Audio discrete regulator power supply upgrade and much more! Within Alan Sircom's editorial he says, "We are a 'nation of shopkeepers', the British seem remarkably bad at keeping those shops in business. Recently, we've seen some bad economic hurting going on in the UK high street, with well-known consumer electronic and home entertainment stores either going to the wall or going into administration. In some respects this comes down to the wider economy, the increase in business rents and rates, and the shift online. But, it also represents – in the case of home entertainment stores like HMV and Blockbuster – an expression of the radical change in the way people get their entertainment today. Remarkably, this change is only now filtering to the audiophile world, but it's why there are more and more new DACs and streamers and fewer new CD players these days." You can see the complete table of contents and editorial of Hi-Fi+ by clicking here.

After the incredible success of their new Traveler turntable, VPI Industries has just announced their new Scout 1.1 turntable ($1999). Celebrating a decade of successful production with the original unit, the new version is an upgrade over the original and features a new aluminum platter and main bearing. The new VPI Scout 1.1 also uses the impressive JMW-9 9" tonearm. To keep the motor vibration from negatively affecting the critical needle/groove interface, the outboard motor and damped plinth keep things in check.

The AXPONA Audio Expo 2013 is only a month away and naturally Enjoy the Music.com will be reporting on AXPONA 2013 live online! The show will be held at the beautiful four Diamond rated Doubletree by Hilton at Chicago O'Hare from March 8th through 10th. 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. 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.

02 / 04   to   02 / 16

  With CES and T.H.E. Show 2013 now in our proverbial review view mirror, it is time for Yours Truly to bring my life partner with me to a few small private island getaways as we get married. During this brief lull in the industry, as all new products appeared in Las Vegas, it is time for some well-earned RnR. Thank you everyone for your well wishes on Facebook and via e-mail. As a show of thanks and giving something special to you, will be live on-location streaming beach sunsets over the Internet. Feel free to enjoy my beach sunsets each day from 5:30pm to 6:30pm NYC time daily. Remember to play your fave tunes while enjoying and relaxing... with of course a quenching beverage. No worries if you missed the live stream, as you can watch the archived sunset videos at this link. As always... Enjoy the music.

02 / 01 / 13

  Enjoy the Music.com's February Review Magazine is now online! Reviews in this edition include the Vinther Labs' horn-loaded speaker, an easy CD tube output stage you can build, Oppo BDP-105 3D Blu-ray disc player, Ars Aures Midi Sensorial Mk. II speakers, ADAM Audio A7X powered monitors, M2Tech Joplin analog-to-digital converter and much more! We also have a very special manufacturer highlight featuring the multi-award winning manufacturer Coincident Speaker Technology. Love vinyl? We have a few articles for you too with a review of the Orb Audio Sakura deStat plus Northwest Analogue for those who need cartridge repair, upgraded stylus, cantilever and/or new Garrard bearing. CONTEST: Yes indeed, we here at Enjoy the Music.com will be running a monthly high-end audio contest in 2013! This month we are giving away the visually stunning CA Electronics HS-1 headphone stand! All this and much more in the February edition of Enjoy the Music.com's Review Magazine, which can be seen by clicking here.

TGIFMUSIC
As my fiancé and i are about to get married, we also plan on a variety of xTreme sports during our honeymoon. Here are but a few examples... Heather, you are my miracle. Miracles happen when you're around :)