High-Performance Audio Reviews
Music News, Show Reports, And More!
Celebrating 29 Years Of Service To Music Lovers
High-End Audio / Hi-Res
Audio (HRA) Audiophile Industry News
06 / 30 / 18
The Absolute Sound's
July / August Magazine Is
Now Available Online Enjoy
the Music.com has posted the July / August issue of The Absolute
Sound. Show coverage of AXPONA Chicago, where it has easily become the biggest and most important show in North
America according to TAS. Equipment reviews include Emotiva A-150 BasX power
amplifier, Clearaudio Concept Black turntable with Satisfy tonearm, Lyra Atlas SL MC
Phono partridge, Bryston BLP-1 turntable and tonearm, Grado Prestige Black2 & Audio-Technica VM540M cartridges, Prather Design Signature LP Storage
rack, Parasound JC 3 Jr. Phono preamplifier, MoFi Electronics UltraDeck+ Turntable, Shunyata Research Sigma
signal cables, VooDoo cable, MasterBuilt Audio Reference cables, Naim Uniti Nova,
plus a classic Acoustic Research XA turntable and tonearm. TAS'sspecial
guest editorial by Jeff Wilson titled 'Hi-Res Digital Audio Versus Analog Vinyl LP'
he says "During the last few years we've been hearing a lot about the resurgence of vinyl records, and some of that has to do with the sound of wax — as vinyl lovers are quick to point out — the warmth and realism of a good-sounding LP on the right system.
At the same time, some music listeners have pursued a very different path toward audio fidelity. You don't hear about it nearly as much as vinyl, but it has grown very quickly. Here I'm thinking of the computer audio enthusiasts who favor hi-res downloads while eschewing
mp3s. Some of these listeners will tell you that hi-res files played on the right system sound as good as vinyl, and some will tell you that they go one better.
Not everyone agrees, however. One skeptic is our own Jonathan Valin, who addressed the analog-versus-digital debate in an editorial entitled
The Emperor's New Server. Valin bluntly stated that analog is better. As he put it,
'Digital is to analog as a butterfly pinned and pressed under glass is to a butterfly in an open
field.' That caused some controversy. The last I checked, 101 comments were left on the website, and many of them were highly critical of JV."
See what's within the July / August 2018 issue of
The Absolute Sound at this
link.
06 / 29 / 18
HIFICRITIC's
Latest Issue
Features Audio Reviews And Think Pieces HIFICRITIC's
latest issue includes Stan's Safari No42 where he recalls the virtues of monophony plus their Munich MOC 2018 show coverage by Jason Kennedy. High-end audio equipment reviews include the Astell & Kern Acro L1000 desktop audio unit, Audeze iSINE10 + Cipher headphone package for music-on-the-move, and Dynaudio Special Forty stand-mounted speakers.
Andrew Harrison compares ADL Stratos, Chord Qutest, Prism Sound Callia and Rega DAC-R. Harley Lovegrove of Pearl Acoustics describes the tests that led to his findings. In other reviews and articles, Andrew Everard takes stock of the Roon Nucleus, Martin Colloms assesses a low-cost Pro-Ject Essential III+Phono Box 2 turntable and phono stage, plus, AURALiC Aries G2 is
assessed by Andrew Harrison as he tries the G2 AURALiC Aries 'bridge'. Other gear reviews within this issue of
HIFICRITIC include the Marantz ND8006 digital music source player, Musical Fidelity MX-VYNL phono stage, Neat Iota Explorer, NAD D3020 V2, SVEDA Audio Blipo, Jern W8000, Quiescent Technologies Park, The Hart loudspeaker, plus music reviews and think pieces.
Within Rafael Todes's review of the Audeze iSINE10 + Cipher cable he says, "Listening to the Haydn Sinfonia Concertante (Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic on Warner) through my iPhone gives compelling results. A sweet and articulate string sound is delivered, spacious and coherent. There is a slight lack of ultimate control to the bass (an area where the more expensive Isine20 excels), and also a lack of tonal
neutrality."
See what's within this issue of HIFICRITIC at this
link.
Hi-Fi World's
August 2018 Magazine Features Great Articles And Reviews
Hi-Fi
World's August 2018 issue features your chance to win a pair of Roth vA4 loudspeakers worth £200!
There's a very special article with Noel Keywood visiting turntable manufacturer Pro-Ject –
and learns about HD vinyl too. Equipment reviews within this issue include Meridian 207 CD player, Q Acoustics 3050i loudspeakers, Studio 19 Solo E500x-EQ Bluetooth speaker, FiiO M7 Hi-Res Audio portable music player, Cambridge
CXN V2 Network Streamer, Melco D100 Transport and E100 Expansion Drive, Aqua La Voce S3 DAC, NAD C338 hybrid digital integrated amplifier,
and of course the Technics SP-10R direct drive turntable. Within his editorial
Noel Keywood says "It was flown over as early as possible from Japan specially for us; even the packing and instructions were not ready. So we were honoured by Technic's commitment in getting us their new SP-10R professional turntable for review – see p85.
I will explain that a joint approach worked best here. Both Dave Cawley of Timestep and I share a profound interest in turntables and the measurement and evaluation thereof, as well as history, the technology – and all else. We spoke to Technics from different angles, as it were. You have to understand that they put massive amounts of engineering effort into a prestige turntable like the SP-10R and we have to convince them we are fit to understand it, in order to be able to review it. Looks like it worked!"
See what's within this issue of Hi-Fi World and read the complete editorial at this link.
06 / 27 / 18
The Doors Waiting For The Sun 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition The Doors
released their third studio album, Waiting For The Sun, in July 1968. It was the band's third platinum album in less than two years, and the first to top the album chart. Since its debut, the album has sold millions of copies around the globe and contributed to the Doors' legendary canon with classics like "The Unknown Soldier," "Five To One" and the #1 smash, "Hello, I Love You." Rhino will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the album this year with
Waiting For The Sun 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
to be released in September (preorder on
Amazon). This two CD and one vinyl LP collection features a new version of the album's original stereo mix on both CD and
180 gram vinyl LP, which has been newly remastered from the original master tapes by Bruce Botnick, the Doors' longtime engineer/mixer. The set also includes a second disc of 14 completely unreleased tracks: nine recently discovered "rough mixes" from the album recording sessions and five live songs from a 1968 Copenhagen show.
Waiting For The Sun: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition will be available on September 14 for $49.98. The audio will also be available on digital download and streaming services. Rhino will release a new 7" version of the single "Hello, I Love You" with its b-side "Love Street." For this anniversary release, Rhino will use mono radio mixes of the songs that were given exclusively to radio stations for airplay in 1968. Botnick's newly remastered stereo mix of
Waiting For The Sun adds new sonic dimensions to songs like "The Unknown Soldier" and "Spanish Caravan," but that wasn't his only contribution to the project. When the Doors recorded Waiting For The Sun in 1968, they were among the first bands to use Dolby A301 noise reduction processors, which was cutting-edge recording tech at the time. Similarly, the most advanced sound recording innovations were used to make the anniversary edition of
Waiting For The Sun. The new release has been encoded with the MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) process. An MQA disc plays back on all CD players as standard CD quality. But if a conventional CD player is connected to an MQA-enabled device, it can play the same disc back at its original sample rate.
MartinLogan Subwoofers Offer Room Correction, Wireless Control And Signal MartinLogan
announced their new line of subwoofers: Dynamo 400, 600X, 800X, 1100X, and 1600X. These Dynamo subwoofers represents the company's most advanced, high-performance, and affordable subwoofer systems. The X in the model names designates the inclusion of wireless technologies including app based controls via Bluetooth, wireless Anthem Room Correction (ARC), and wireless signal connection capability. Inverted surround woofers pair a powerful magnet structure with a rigid, lightweight diaphragm, and powerful amplifiers to deliver huge excursion and sound output while preserving bass details. Unbalanced RCA, balanced XLR, speaker level, and wireless signal connectivity offer a flexible array of input options. Putting control in the listener's hands, iOS and Android subwoofer control apps allow precise configuration of subwoofer settings while Anthem Room Correction (ARC) guarantees an accurate bass performance custom tailored to each unique listening room. Ranging in price from $399.95 to $1699.95 each, these subwoofers are just now beginning to ship to customers.
06 / 25 / 18
AES Conference: Audio Archiving, Preservation
And Restoration June 28th through 30th at the United States Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, VA, is the
Audio Engineering Society's (AES) conference on
audio archiving, preservation and restoration. According to the AES, "This conference will present a remarkable opportunity to bring researchers and practitioners together for three days to discuss critical preservation issues and focus on strategies that will support and encourage collaboration and interoperability between industry and the preservation, restoration and archiving communities." Some
of the important themes covered will include:
• Physical/object based preservation & material science
• Handling and storage of audio carriers
• New trends in material research
• Preservation by digitization
Mechanical Versus Optical Transfer
• Magnetic media
• Digitization, and restoration of historical obsolete disc formats
• Preservation issues for emerging high-end audio formats
• Preserving legacy professional formats
• Multi- track tapes and obsolete digital formats
• Storage and access technology
• Current state and future development of digital archives
• Role of archives in preserving commercial audio
• Meta data
• Aesthetic considerations in digital restoration of historical audio
• Public/Private collaboration for preservation and access
• Considerations for archiving in preserving commercial audio, collaborative performance, virtual reality, and born digital assets
06 / 22 / 18
Changes By Grammy-Earning Arianna Neikrug Is Available On Concord Jazz After winning the 2015 Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition then performing at the Montreal International Jazz Festival the following year, 25-year-old singer and songwriter
Arianna Neikrug makes her grander introduction to the music world with the August 24, 2018 release of
Changes on
Concord Jazz. Neikrug says the first release off
Changes "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most" is one of my favorite arrangements on this album particularly because the (new) harmonic nature is so encapsulating and reflects the lyric so accurately and so deeply, thus making the track that much more powerful, intriguing, and emotionally striking. Produced by the
Grammy-earning pianist and arranger Laurence Hobgood, Changes displays Neikrug's gift for interpreting tunes from the
Great American Songbook and more recent pop and R&B classics from the 1970s. The disc also contains two originals that reveal some of Neikrug's journey from her hometown of Los Angeles to New York City, where she argues she truly belongs. Hobgood, who recruited his regular trio mates – drummer Jared Schonig and bassist Matt Clohesy – for
Changes, describes Neikrug as "an intellectual and complex person." "I can honestly say that she's the most theoretically informed singer that I've ever worked with – in terms of just knowing music," Hobgood says. "She understands the basic structures of music and how to talk about it. She has a healthy combination of being strong-willed with being totally open-minded to suggestions. Those are attributes of a singer with a long career." Now in hindsight, Neikrug sees that struggling, transitional period as a blessing because it afforded her some of life's big lows and highs, which enabled her to write more convincing life-based songs and interpret emotionally gripping standards. Blending the right amount of reverence for the jazz tradition with a knowing glance to modern pop and R&B classics, sprinkled with two inviting originals,
Changes will delight both jazz purists and novices without making any unwise artistic compromises as she superbly negotiates the glories of jazz's past with a wide-eyed optimism that betrays her tender age. "When you're recording your debut album, fresh out of college, you're not exactly sure how you want to present yourself," Neikrug explains. "It was easier figuring that out by discovering who I didn't want to be. I'm just trying to take the jazz tradition and move it in my direction." Below is Arianna Neikrug's "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most".
Texas Instruments TAS5825M Chip Features 38 Wpc And 192kHz DSP Texas Instruments new TAS5825M chip is a stereo 38 Wpc features inductor-less, digital input, closed-poop Class-D audio amplification and 192kHz DAC. The powerful DSP audio processing core supports several advanced audio process flows. With the 192kHz architecture, the TAS5825M provides excellent processing. Such as 2
x 12 BQs, volume control, audio mixer, Two Band DRC and a Full Band AGL. With 48 or
96 kHz architecture, an integrated SRC (sample rate converter) detects the input sample rate change. Then auto converts to the target sample rate which DSP is running to avoid any audio artifacts. These process flows support: 2
x 15 BQs, 3 band DRC, full-band AGL (Automatic Gain Limiter), Smart Amplifier Algorithm
(speaker thermal, excursion protection), bass enhancement, spatializer, and THD manager. Flexible audio I/O supports 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 192 kHz sample rates. Also supported is I2S, LJ, RJ, and TDM plus SDOUT for audio monitoring, sub-channel or echo cancellation. The output amplification stage of the TAS5825M uses a high-side NMOS driver, rather than a PMOS driver. To generate the gate driver voltage for the high-side NMOS, a bootstrap capacitor for each output terminal acts as a floating power supply for the switching cycle. Texas Instrument's TAS5825M requires two power supplies for proper operation. A high-voltage supply calls PVDD is required to power the output stage of the speaker amplifier and its associated circuitry. Additionally, one
low voltage power supply which is calls DVDD is required to power the various low-power portions of the
device.
The Boston Audio Society Will Be Hosting Audio Legend Bob Carver On Saturday, June 23 @ 2pm the Boston Audio Society
will proudly present living legend Bob Carver, President of Carver Audio. Taking place at Boston University's Life Science & Engineering Bldg, 24 Cummington Mall, 1st Floor Conference Room 103, Boston, MA 02215, there will be an open forum on vacuum tube amplifier and loudspeaker design. Robert W. (Bob) Carver is an American designer of audio equipment based in the Pacific Northwest. Educated as a physicist and engineer, he found an interest in audio equipment at a young age. He applied his talent to produce numerous, innovative high fidelity designs since the 1970s. He is known for designing the Phase Linear 700, at 350 W per channel. It was the most powerful, consumer audio amplifier available for a reasonable price in 1972. He went on to found the Carver Corporation in 1979, Sunfire in 1994, and the Bob Carver LLC in 2011, which was sold to Jade Design in June 2013. However, in December 2013, Bob Carver and Jade Design parted ways. Bob's history includes at least 15 patents. He continues to innovate in tube amplifier designs and loudspeakers. The amplifier on display at the meeting will be the Carver Crimson 350. It utilizes the mighty Tung-Sol KT120 output tubes. They are one and a half times as powerful as the ubiquitous 6550 or KT88. Using his own transformer design, the Crimson/Raven 350 delivers 350
Watts (8 Ohms) of sound, regardless of the loudspeaker's impedance vs. frequency. The newest loudspeaker is a line-source, 8-feet tall. It utilizes a combination of ribbons and 3" dynamic drivers stacked. It incorporates different time delays for groups of the drivers in an effort to fulfill the infinite floor to ceiling requirement of a true line source. Questions and answers on all their products will follow the
presentation. You can read Enjoy the Music.com's world premiere review of Bob Carver Cherry 180 Tube Monoblock Amplifier at this
link.
06 / 20 / 18
Los Angeles And Orange County Audio Society December
2018 Gala On
Sunday December 2nd the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society
(LAOCAS) will be holding their All Star Gala event. As their very special 25th Anniversary All Star Annual Gala, the special award ceremony takes place from 11am through 3:30pm at Holiday Inn and Convention Center in Buena Park's Grand Ballroom. Special guests include, well, basically everyone from the American press and an abundance of special guests. Michael Fremer, Jonathan Scull, John Atkinson, Ray Kimber, Bob Attiyeh, Dr. David Robinson, Paul Seydor, Albert Edmond Lord III, Chuck Bruce, Dr. Mark Katz, Dave and Carol Clark, EveAnna Manley, Harry Weisfeld, Tim de Paravicini, John Grado, Chad Kassem, Bob Carver, Richard Vandersteen and many more! Awards to be given include:
25th Annual Founder's Award to Michael Fremer
25th Annual President's Award TBA
First Annual "Audiophile Recording of the Year Award" (ARIA)
Additionally, for the first time in the Society's history all Past Winners of the Founder's Award will be invited to the Gala as our honored guests. All Founders Award recipients is hosted by Tom
D'Agostino, Executive Vice President of Hospitality, Lifetime Member of the Society. All three of the Society's 25th Anniversary Society LPs will be available at the Gala. Also, their new 18-carat gold permanent Society Pin will be available at the Gala.
Attendees will enjoy a lavish buffet lunch including NY strip steak, chicken picatta, salads, vegetables, and endless desserts. There are vegetarian selections too. Lastly, Yuko Mabuchi and her extraordinary Trio will perform for the Society in 100% analog!
06 / 19 / 18
FiiO Releases Their New FH5 Quad Driver Hybrid In-Ear Monitors With a single dynamic driver plus three balanced armatures, these four drivers fill
FiiO's new FH5 ($259.99). The FH5's mids and treble are effortlessly handled by three balanced armature units, while the bass is taken care of with a 10mm polymer nanocomposite ferromagnetic dynamic driver. These four drivers per ear are brought together with an electronic crossover
circuitry and all enclosed in a specially-designed enclosure. All this effort has been put forth to achieve the best sound quality ever in a FiiO earphone. Connectors on the FH5's cable make it as easy as possible to connect to other devices, with its elbow plug; and to easily be changed, with the grippy MMCX connectors colored blue and red to easily identify the left and right channels. A flexible sheath on the outside hides a robust core on the inside 6N monocrystalline silver-plated copper wire. The 6N monocrystalline silver-plated copper wire makes up the FH5's hybrid cable effective minimizes distortion and signal transmission loss for the best sound quality possible. These wires are braided together in an
environmentally friendly, transparent TPU sheath that allows you to appreciate the craftsmanship involved in making the cable. To ensure driver units are perfectly in harmony,
FiiO's FH5 allocates one sound tube each for the low, mid, and high frequencies. This ensures a smooth transition between the three main regions of sound
frequencies. It also maximizes the potential of the four units working together perfectly in harmony to bring you a coherent symphony of music. For easier insertion into your ear, the shell of the FH5 is of aluminum alloy precisely machined with CNC technology. This effort on Fiio's part ensures that it will continue to luster for years to come. The FH5's shell design is also reminiscent of custom in-ears, which not only provides an extremely comfortable fit but also shines as a stylish accessory to
wear. Enjoy the Music.com gave you a World Premiere review of the FiiO X7 Portable Music Player And K5 Desktop Amplifier plus we
bestowed FiiO's
X5 3rd generation Hi-Res Audio digital music player with our Great Audiophile Gift Award for 2017.
HiFiMAN Electronics Ananda Planar Magnetic Stereo Headphones HiFiMAN announced availability of their Ananda ($999) open back planar magnetic stereo
headphones. "Ananda is designed for music lovers who want one high-performance, extraordinarily comfortable headphone for all personal listening, whether it's a home system, high-resolution portable player, or an everyday smartphone," said Dr. Fang Bian, Founder and CEO, HiFiMAN. "The word 'Ananda' is derived from the Sanskrit term for 'bliss,' which is what this headphone will bring to anybody who enjoys audiophile-grade performance, no matter the source."
HiFiMAN engineers employed lightweight, ultra-fine planar drivers for the high power sensitivity necessary when used with streaming audio devices. Ananda's rating of 103dB guarantees that it will provide consistently low distortion high-fidelity output when used with a smartphone, let alone current and upcoming high-resolution digital audio players and home audio systems. The industrial design of the Ananda headphone represents new standards of comfort and performance for open-back planar models. The ultra-thin diaphragm produces unmatched detail and low distortion, and the window shade grill design reduces sonic reflections, resulting in pure, neutral sonics. A hybrid headband features a weight-dispersing strap for hours of comfort, and the sleek and sumptuous matte black finish is combined with metal construction for maximum durability. Ananda's 3.5mm headphone connector is the company's strongest yet, ensuring years of secure, trouble-free performance. Ananda weighs 14.07 ounces, has a frequency response from 8 Hz to 55 kHz, sensitivity is rated at 103dB, and impedance is 25 Ohm.
06 / 18 / 18
Reference Recordings Hi-Res
Music John Williams' At The Movies John Williams new album
At The Movies by
Reference Recordings is in Hi-Res Music recording and a
wonderful game changer. Recorded July 15th though 17th, 2016 at Meyerson Symphony Center is Dallas, Texas, It was engineered by the legendary Keith O. Johnson. Produced by Donald J. McKinney, with help by Executive Producers Marcia Gordon Martin and Kim Campbel, John Williams'
At The Movies [RR-142SACD] is music to inspire the world for generations! Early in his career, John Williams crossed the lines between music that was art and music that was commercial, and he never looked back. He is one of the best known, most awarded and most successful composers in US history, and his name is inextricably connected to outstanding music for films. He has written scores for over 100 films, and his massive list of awards includes 51 Academy Award nominations and five wins, as well as 24 Grammy awards. John Williams
At The Movies is Reference Recordings first wind band recording to be released as a hybrid SACD. The disc contains stereo SACD, 5.1 Surround SACD and a stereo compact disc layer encoded with HDCD, and is simultaneously being released as high resolution and standard resolution digital downloads and streams. A two-LP set will be released later in 2018. This is Reference Recordings 18th album with The Dallas Winds, and is a project of which they are extremely proud, that was years in the making. The Dallas Winds is the leading professional civilian wind band in the United States today. In his 25th season as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Dallas Winds, Jerry Junkin is recognized as one of the world's most highly regarded wind conductors. He has also served as Music Director and Conductor of the Hong Kong Wind Philharmonia since 2003, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Senzoku Gakuen College of Music Wind Symphony in Tokyo since 2007. Additionally, 2017-18 marks his 30th year on the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin, where he holds the Vincent R. and Jane D. DiNino Chair for the Director of Bands.
06 / 14 / 18
Enjoy the Music.com
Holiday Week Plus Special Wedding Plans
Enjoy the Music.com will be closed from Wednesday June
14th through June 18th for holiday and a wedding of Creative Director Steven R.
Rochlin to his Muse, the lovely Heather Baird.
On a personal note, my Muse Heather and I are getting married
on June 14th in Las Vegas. I know, what took me so long to... Be
gentle please, Heather will be/is my very first wife. You're cordially
invited to our wedding at the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel on June 14, 2018 at
8 pm within the Main Chapel. Come celebrate with Heather and Steven as we get
married with glorious specially-chosen music welcomes the next step in our life
together. Music, fun and of course an abundance of champagne will hallmark our
official marriage together. If you can't join us in person, relax at home, on
the beach, or anywhere there's Internet access as our wedding will be live
streamed online! BYOB with your fave online device and celebrate with us
virtually! Whether you're with us in Las Vegas or at home, a fun time is
assured for all.
Deezer Asks: Do You Suffer From Musical Paralysis? Popular streaming music service Deezer has a survey
where they ask if you're "frozen in time with your music?" According to their finding, "After 'asking' 5000 people in France, the UK, Germany, USA and Brazil how often you listened to new music and over 65% of you told us that you only listen to tracks you already know, with 60% wanting to expand their musical repertoire. This musical paralysis seems to hit right around your 28th birthday, and the usual culprits are a being too busy and feeling overwhelmed by the amount of choice available." One of the major advantages of streaming music services is their deep data-mining and proprietary algorithm(s) to aid in helping you discover new musical artists you may love.
IQ magazine goes on to say that "A survey by music streaming service Deezer of 1000 Britons found the age when most people enter the musical wilderness is 30 years and six months, with a lull in music discovery driven by feeling overwhelmed by the mass of choice available (19%), having a demanding job (16%) and caring for young children (11%). Nearly half (47%) of all respondents revealed they wish they could spend more time discovering new music, with two fifths (41%) predicting that in the future they will spend more time seeking out new artists. On average, the age when music discovery peaks is 24 years and five months. At this age, three quarters of respondents (75%) reported listening to ten or more new tracks per week and 64% to seeking out at least five new artists per month."
06 / 11 / 18
Nordost Reintroduces Their
SuperFlatline
Loudspeaker Cable Nordost is happy to reintroduce a true Nordost classic, the SuperFlatline Speaker Cable (starts at $299.99 for a two-meter pair; additional paired one-meter increments are $100). SuperFlatline was one of the original cable options that put Nordost on the map. Easily distinguishable by its trademark, flat design, SuperFlatline quickly became known throughout the industry as one of the most respected high end speaker cables. According to Nordost, this cable "offers an unmatched performance level at its price point. This highly sought after product offers detail, clarity, and purity throughout the whole frequency spectrum, from subsonic lows to ultrasonic highs." And so due to popular demand, Nordost's SuperFlatline cable is back! Nordost's SuperFlatline Speaker Cable consists of 16, 23 AWG, solid core, flat, rectangular copper conductors. The flat geometry of this cable not only increases signal transfer speed, but also makes it possible to run lengths under carpets for easy and discreet installation. Additionally, SuperFlatline employs an innovative precision FEP extrusion process, which they say "lowers the capacitance and increases the bandwidth of the cable dramatically, enhancing accuracy in signal transfer. Designed and manufactured entirely in the USA, the SuperFlatline Speaker Cable guarantees the precision of craftsmanship required to produce the uncolored, unfiltered accuracy of sound that is synonymous with Nordost."
Burson Audio Fun Headphone Amp /
Preamp With Microphone Input The new
Burson Audio Fun ($299 to $849 depending on configuration) is a dual mono Class A headphone amplifier and preamplifier. Its symmetrical circuitry is powered by four sets of Max Current Power Supply (MCPS) developed by Burson. Their MCPS is claimed to be far superior to traditional transformers by delivering instant, clean, and maximum electric current. At the heart of Burson's Fun is their fully discrete Burson Conductor V2 amplification stage. This same circuitry has been refined since 2008 and famed for its micro details and musicality. There's also a microphone input. Furthermore, Fun has the potential of both the PC sound card and the headphones. Fun may complete your video gaming experience with mesmerizing audio performance. Top quality high-end components are carefully selected and matched for performance. That includes ELNA Aluminum Electrolytic, Vishay Professional MELF resistors with a precision of 1% tolerance and +/-50 ppm/K and an ALPS volume pot for smooth and noiseless control.
06 / 08 / 18
Apurna Prelude Integrated
Stereo Amplifier And Dedicated Amplifier French company
Apurna has announced their new Prelude Stereo
Amplifier and Prelude Integrated Stereo Amplifier. Amplification for both models is 200 Watts per channel, two channels @ 4 Ohms and 100 Watts @ 8 Ohms.
Analog inputs include balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA, plus there's a 12V trigger in / out link. For loudspeaker terminals, WBT's top-quality binding posts with 24-carat gold plating are used to ensure a very high-quality signal connection. Apurna's Prelude Stereo Integrated
Amplifier includes two stereo balanced inputs via XLR with one in bypass mode. For unbalanced RCA, there's three stereo inputs and one in bypass mode. Apurna's Prelude is available in five
colors including Matt, Gloss or Metallic finish. Custom designer finishes are optional.
Hi-Fi+'s
June Magazine
Features Many High-End Audio Reviews Hi-Fi+
Magazine's June 2018 issue features show coverage of AXPONA 2018, Meet Your Maker with Allan Hendry of MonoPulse, plus Meet Your Dealer featuring Dominic Lye of StudioAV. High-end audio equipment reviews within this
issue include Dynaudio Music 5 wireless loudspeaker, Audioengine A5+ Wireless standmount loudspeaker, Riva Festival wireless loudspeaker, PSB M4U 8 noise-cancelling headphones, Sennheiser Ambeo Smart Headset for binaural recordings, iBASSO IT01 universal-fit earphones and iBASSO DX200 digital audio player. Other reviews featured are FiiO F9 PRO universal-fit earphones, FiiO X7 Mk II digital audio player, Bluewave GET Bluetooth headphone adaptor, Burnson Audio Conductor Virtuoso 2+ headphone amplifier / DAC, Quad Artera Solus integrated CD/Bluetooth amplifier, dCS Rossini (MQA Upgrade) CD player / streamer / DAC / clock, Acoustic Energy AE1 Active standmount loudspeaker, IsoTek Evo3 Genesis One & Nova One mains regenerator / filter, and lastly Cardas Clear Cygnus power cord. Within his editorial, Alan Sircom says "This Summertime Audio magazine would not have been possible – or advisable – a few years ago, but a lot has changed, and so has the terminology. We now live in a world of network streamed music, where Spotify is king, where writing about UPnP or DLNA isn't viewed with blank stares, and where talking to your hi-fi system is a very real possibility. Even the conventional shape of a speaker has changed (somewhat) to accommodate the new. What's changed beyond compare, however, is the performance we expect from our devices... up to a point. The snooty audiophile will never be able to see the point of a small, portable party in a box, and many products that cater to that market are simply beyond their experience. Others are more flexible in their approach and look to such systems as the perfect outdoor speaker, the perfect BBQ speaker, and so on."
See what's within this issue of Hi-Fi+ Magazine at this
link.
06 / 06 / 18
Headphone.Guru Partners With
Enjoy
the Music.com For Reviews & Articles
Both magazines will share content to bring
informative gear reviews and think pieces.
(June 6, 2018)
Enjoy the Music.com, high-end audio's longtime online industry leader in providing hi-fi industry news, reviews, and show reports, is pleased to announce that
Headphone.Guru has joined in a special content sharing agreement to benefit both magazines. This marks the
eighth magazine to join what has been referred to as the Internet's preeminent website dedicated to the consumer electronics' high-fidelity audio sector.
For well over 20 years, Enjoy the Music.com has been a major resource for information about the high-end audio industry and high resolution
/ streaming music on the Internet. Headphone.Guru joining Enjoy the Music.com shows the continued growth and strength of personal audio
products within the industry. Both magazines will work in concert to provide timely information to their worldwide audience. Our goal is to bring newsworthy information and gear reviews to help our readership better understand audio products and
the many new technologies available today. This will enable our audience in making informed buying decisions to further their joys in
both music hardware and software. Read
the complete press release at this link.
06 / 05 / 18
There's An "Inverse Piano"
Within Your Head According To A Neuroscientist "Neuroscientist James Hudspeth has basically been living inside the human ear for close to 50 years", says a recent
Scientific American
article. "In that time Hudspeth, head of the Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience at The Rockefeller University, has dramatically advanced scientists' understanding of how the ear and brain work together to process sound. Last week his decades of groundbreaking research were recognized by the Norwegian Academy of Science, which awarded him the million-dollar Kavli Prize in Neuroscience. Hudspeth shared the prize with two other hearing researchers: Robert Fettiplace from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Christine Petit from the Pasteur Institute in Paris. As Hudspeth explored the neural mechanisms of hearing over the years, he developed a special appreciation for the intricate anatomy of the inner ear—an appreciation that transcends the laboratory." Within the article, he says, "I think we as scientists tend to underemphasize the aesthetic aspect of science," he says. "Yes, science is the disinterested investigation into the nature of things. But it is more like art than not. It's something that one does for the beauty of it, and in the hope of understanding what has heretofore been hidden. Here's something incredibly beautiful, like the inner ear, performing a really remarkable function. How can that be? How does it do it?"
Read more at this link.
Abyss Releases Their AB-1266 Phi CC Planar Magnetic Headphone In their continuous pursuit of the next in musical reproduction, Abyss Headphones
gives the AB-1266 Phi Reference Headphone a new suit made of the hardest thin lm coating on Earth. A colored polymer ceramic coating (CC) is factory applied and oven cured. This beautiful two-tone luxury black finish gives the Phi a sophisticated look and is said to enhance the quality of sound by further improving upon the anti-resonant nature of its all aluminum components. It also allows for custom color options, unheard of in the boutique headphone market. ABYSS has also improved upon the ear pads in both appearance and function. The new pads are deep and comfortable, and are said to improve acoustics by providing a larger soundstage with improved micro details. The new pads will be standard issue with the new CC model, and will also be sold separately as an upgrade for any older model AB-1266. Pricing for the new AB-1266 Phi CC is $4995 for the Lite version, $5995
for Deluxe, and $7995 for the Complete.
06 / 04 / 18
Pangea Audio's Vulcan TTX2 Turntable Stand
Handles Over 200 Albums Pangea Audio, developer and manufacturer of high performance, high value audio accessories, is following up the introduction of its popular Vulcan TT turntable with the Pangea Audio Vulcan TTX2 turntable stand, which adds space for an additional 100 albums, bringing the total capacity to 200. As the latest addition to the company's selection of audio furniture, the Pangea Audio Vulcan TTX2 turntable stand, which ranges in price from $169.90 for basic black to $199.90 for Rosenut and Carbon Fiber Vinyl options, brings ample storage space to music lovers with growing and sizable collections, while maintaining the original model's ultra-stable, low-vibration characteristics. The four-shelf Vulcan TTX2 turntable stand features a rigid, 19mm top shelf platform that provides a stable platform for even the most sensitive turntables, with a second component audio shelf for a receiver or other audio gear. Similar to the original Vulcan TT, the TTX2 includes tapered cone feet with carpet piercing spikes , ensuring a bare minimum of vibration that is on a par with stands costing thousands more. The included Mini Sonic Saucers protect wood and tile floor finishes. The modular design makes it easy to swap out the 0.625" scratch-resistant shelves. The new Vulcan TTX2 turntable stand measures 41.25"
x 23.75" x 18" (HxWxD). The top turntable platform is rated to support up to 80 lbs., as are the LP storage
shelves.
Triangle Sensa SN01A And SN03A Powered
Monitors With Bluetooth French loudspeaker manufacturer Triangle
has announced two new compact Sensa powered loudspeakers, SN01A and SN03A (€349 and €349 respectively). Their Sensa speakers benefit from the research conducted for the active speakers Elara with the aim of democratizing this technology by offering hi-fi speakers at more affordable prices. Triangle's Sensa speakers are equipped with a class D amplifier of 2 x 40 watts for the SN01A and 2 x 50 watts for the SN03A. This amplifier is very versatile and compatible with numerous types of sources. It contains a Bluetooth
AptX receiver (16-bit/44.1kHz) for phones and tablets. A phono preamplifier to connect directly your vinyl turntable to your speakers. There's a TosLink optical input to deliver sound from a television, a computer or any compatible digital player. For analog input, a 3.5mm and unbalanced RCA is provided for. Triangle's Sensa also has unbalanced RCA output allowing to connect a subwoofer or to daisy-chain several pairs of speakers simultaneously. Sensa uses a two-way bass reflex configuration, which is a standard for this line of products. Both new models feature a 25mm silk dome tweeter, with a midrange/bass driver of 10cm for the SN01A, and 13cm for SN03A. They provide extended LF response via the use of a bass reflex laminar vent located to the rear of the enclosure. Each model is available in black and white, plus are supplied with an RCA cable, a 3.5mm cable and a remote control that allows you to adjust the volume, sources and the standby mode of the product. It is also possible to adjust the response of the speaker in the low frequencies and the treble. A reset function allows you to reset the initial settings if necessary.
06 / 01 / 18
Enjoy the Music.com's
June Review Magazine Is Now Available Online Enjoy the
Music.com's June Review
Magazine brings a site redesign, our extensive HIGH END 2018
Munich show report, plus of course many gear reviews we know you'll love. You
might have noticed something changed a bit on our site. We've redesigned
it to (basically) adhere to what seems to be current high-end audio magazine 'layout standards'.
As for reviews and articles, our man of wisdom and longtime industry expert Roger Skoff talks about the visual beauty of 'audio jewelry'.
Enjoy the Music.com's HIGH END 2018 report has 12 parts plus a special focus on CanJam and showgirls!
As for gear reviews, up first is our North America Premiere Review of Nagra's impressive Classic Preamp. Analog lover rejoice as we've got a World Premiere Review of Gryphon's new Sonett MM / MC phono stage preamplifier. Need amp power and solid reliability? We have you covered with our review of Bryston's BP17³ preamplifier and 7B³ monoblock amps. Since our gear needs power, we're happy to bring back Rufus Smith with his review of Core Power Technologies'
Equi=Core 1800 power conditioner. Of course we have personal audio too, and so our newly-formed partnership with Headphone.Guru brings you their assessment of Beyerdynamic's new wireless Aventho on-ear headphones.
WARNING:
Due to our ongoing growth and to keep this new posting relatively short in
length, below are just a sampling of the many articles and reviews
within the June issue. You can see everything within this month's edition of Enjoy
the Music.com's Review Magazine at this link.
As always, in the end what really
matters is that you...
High-Performance Audio Reviews
