High-End Audio / Hi-Res Audio (HRA) Audiophile Industry News

     
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12 / 21  to 12 / 31

All of us here at Enjoy the Music.com wish you and yours a truly wonderful holiday season and prosperous 2018. As always, in the end what really matters is that you...

Enjoy the Music!

12 / 20 / 17

Capital Audiofest (CAF) 2017 Show Report

The Voice That Is / Doug White With Tidal, Antipodes, And TW-Acustic
CAF 2017 Report By Kemper Holt

ModWright Instruments, OPPO, WyWires And Daedalus
CAF 2017 Report By Kemper

Dynamic Sounds Associates, Studio Electric, AURALiC, Tweek Geek, Miyagima, And VPI
CAF 2017 Report By Kemper Holt

12 / 19 / 17

Plex Labs Now Offers A Streamlined Hi-Res Audio Music Player
For Plex Labs, it all started over a beer --  as most great things do  --  re-envisioning what a tiny and powerful music player might look like in 2017. The most classic and beloved small audio player, Winamp, was first released almost exactly twenty (20) years ago. Written in a low-level language, it ran on Windows, and was limited to playing files on the local (or networked) filesystem. Plex Labs, with their excellent ecosystem including popular community projects, as well as passion projects from their own employees, now brings us Plexamp. It's likely to appeal to anyone who uses, or has considered using, Plex for music. Built by a handful of people inside Plex in their spare time, it's an homage to the past, a testbed for experimentation and play, and frankly, a way to learn fancy new JavaScript features. Plex is said to provide a best-in-class client/server model, an extremely metadata rich library, is highly portable, and gives you access to your entire music collection from anywhere in the world. No need for music services in Hi-Res Audio as you can easily stream your uncompressed FLAC flies anywhere in the world with modern Internet. Keeping things simple as Winamp did, Plex forced themselves to limit the design to a single simple window. They settled on Electron as a platform to build the app. The combination of ES7, Electron, React, and MobX quickly became an incredibly productive (and fun!) set of technologies to use. As for the actual audio player, they wanted to do things which weren't easy or even possible with Web Audio, so they picked a feature rich, portable, open source audio player called Music Player Daemon (MPD). Running on macOS and Windows, plus working like a native app (e.g. media keys for skipping tracks and toggling play/pause are supported, as are notifications), the new Plex app simply works. It can play your music in just about any music format you could dream of throwing at it. Besides support for standard media keys, it offers a global activation hotkey much like Spotlight on macOS (cmd+shift+space). This makes it quicker than ever to find something in your music library. There are a number of additional nice keybindings for power users. Gapless playback, soft transitions, and a working spectrum analyzer ins included. A fun set of visualizations is also included. Of the many cool features, Library Radio works across your entire library in no particular order to custom make your very own radio station using your music. Time Travel Radio starts with earliest released music and works forward. There's many, many more features available now, and since audio driver already uses WASAPI, they plan on making improvements to allow bitstreaming mode in the future. You can download Plexamp on the Plex Labs page.

12 / 18 / 17

HIFICRITIC's Latest Issue Features Audio Reviews And Think Pieces
HIFICRITIC's latest issue ProAc Response D Two speakers, Linn Klimax DS and Katalyst, QED XT25 loudspeaker cable, ROTEL RA-1572 integrated amplifier, Pass Labs XP-12 and XA30.8 pre-/power combo, NAD C388 amplifier, Chord Mojo and Poly, ATC SCM50SL loudspeakers, Magico Pods, Spendor A4 floorstanders, Focal Scala Utopia Evo, and much more. Within Paul Messenger's editorial "We Remember Our Friends", he says "Let me start this editorial by welcoming readers to our stand at the Bristol hi-fi show. We are normally at the end of the first floor corridor that goes past the hotel's restaurant. You're more likely to catch me at the stand on the Sunday, as I'll be doing the rounds, covering the show for Stereophile on the Friday and Saturday. I can't speak for Martin, but he'll probably be spending more time on the stand. You'll notice that we've set aside a couple of pages in this issue for the obituaries of John Borwick and Gerard Chretien. This has been a bad quarter for key people in the industry, and I shall use this editorial to mention four others who didn't get a formal HIFCRITIC obituary. First to be mentioned is Richard Lord, who used his own initials and got his timing just right when he left the Merchant Navy and launched his range of REL subwoofers. Three important US citizens have also passed away recently. I did meet Arnie Nudell on one occasion – we went to a Prom together – and was also aware that he co-founded both Infinity and Genesis speaker brands, and could be regarded as a founder of hi-fi's 'hi end'. I never met Charley Hansen, who was responsible for founding Ayre Acoustics, but the Stereophile announcement says: "the world has lost one of the most creative and innovative minds". And I always had time for Dick Shahinian's unusual loudspeakers, though again I never met him personally." See what's within this issue of HIFICRITIC at this link.

Industry News 15 Years Ago
RIAA And Legitimate Online Music Delivery Services
According to the the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), "online music industry has exploded in 2002 providing more legitimate service offerings for consumers than ever before. The recent wave of new agreements between record companies and legitimate online music services caps a year of dynamic progress in which the labels delivered hundreds of thousands of music tracks to fans. Consumers now have access to a variety of feature-rich services offering a breadth of music, permanence and portability options." This includes not just listening to, but downloading and burning music from various subscription services, a la carte download offerings and streaming services made available through dozens of distributors. A listing with many of the legitimate services can be found at www.musicunited.org. Also within the news, the RIAA website continued by saying "Hundreds of thousands of tracks are available through online services, such as Emusic, Full Audio, MusicNet, Pressplay, and Listen.com's Rhapsody, which provide permanent downloading, burning or portability features. These services all have an ever-growing library of songs from all genres including rock, pop, jazz, country, hip-hop and R&B. Subscribers to these services can also enjoy music from thousands of classic and current artists from the world's five major companies -- BMG, EMI Recorded Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, as well as from a host of independent labels."

12 / 15 / 17

Amphion Redesigns Helium And Argon Bookshelf Models
Finnish manufacturer Amphion Loudspeakers announces Helium410, Helium510, Argon0, and Argon1 bookshelf loudspeakers with redesigned cabinets. The two Helium models utilize also new, higher class components. The major cabinet change implemented with the smallest Helium and Argon models is the repositioning of the reflex tube. Now, it is located right behind the woofer. The new design improves their bass response and enhances the clarity of the midrange. In addition, Helium410 and Helium510 employ a new tweeter that is said to provide cleaner and wider listening area compared to the old one. This way the signature Amphion three-dimensional sound is brought to a new level, ensuring great detail and exquisite music appreciation throughout the whole room either in a stereo speaker setup or a complete home theatre installation. With this changes, the most affordable, entry-level Amphion speakers Helium410 and Helium510 are getting closer in terms of components and sound quality to their more expensive siblings. Helium410 and Argon0 desktop speakers currently have a new design of their woofer grid. It has been adjusted to be just like the grids of all other Amphion models for even better visual appreciation.

RME ADI-2 DAC Two-Channel AD/DA And Headphone Amplifier
German manufacturer RME Audio new ADI-2 DAC is a two-channel high-end, Hi-Res Audio digital/analog converter within a 9.5" housing. With its outstanding audio quality and wide range of conversion options it is targeted at studio professionals and audiophiles. Using the latest 32-bit/768kHz reference converter, RME SteadyClock technology for excellent jitter suppression and a powerful DSP processor, the ADI-2 DAC offers zero-compromise conversion and playback of digital signals into the analog world. The DA converter features two high-performance headphone outputs, including a dedicated in-ear connection. The ADI-2 DAC is a further development of the renowned ADI-2 Pro AD/DA reference converter. Its input options include a coaxial S/PDIF connection, an optical S/PDIF and ADAT connection and a USB2 port. After DA-conversion the analog signals are available at the stereo XLR and stereo RCA outputs, or at the TRS standard and mini jack outputs of the headphone amp. The powerful and sophisticated headphone section is suitable for connecting high-impedance studio and hi-fi headphones through an Extreme Power output, and modern high-quality in-ear systems. The ADI-2 DAC has a superb signal-to-noise ratio of up to 120dBA and extremely low distortion meets the needs of even the most demanding studio professional or audiophile enthusiast. In addition to its excellent sound quality, the ADI-2 DAC provides impressive internal signal processing options thanks to an powerful DSP processor. Among other features, it offers a five band parametric EQ, user-friendly bass/treble adjustment, Crossfeed playback and an innovative loudness control for the analog stereo outputs. The display's background and label colors can be inverted for sensitive eyes or environments. Even less obtrusive is the AutoDark Mode, which will automatically switch to the display and all the LEDs after ten seconds. A supplied remote control makes using the DA-converter even more convenient as various functions are available including volume up/down, playback source selector and equalizer on/off. In all there are 20 different functions which can be assigned to four additional, freely programmable buttons.

12 / 14 / 17

McIntosh Announces Their Four-Way XRT2.1K Floorstanding Loudspeaker
McIntosh Labs is proud to announce their new XRT2.1K large multi-driver floorstanding loudspeaker ($130,000). McIntosh's seven foot high XRT2.1K speaker represents the next evolution of the company's home audio units. Borne from their over 45 years of designing loudspeaker systems, the XRT2.1K is a full-range model that is said to provides spacious sound reproduction with an unusually deep sound stage. It features a 2000 Watt power rating with a sensitivity of 90dB/W/m. The XRT2.1K utilizes McIntosh's renowned line array speaker principles to produce an even sound dispersion pattern. This is said to benefit music lovers as listeners closer to the speaker will not be overwhelmed by extremely loud sound while those further away will notice hardly any drop off in sound level. The resulting sound is smooth and wide for all listeners, producing exceptional stereo imaging in nearly all listening positions. As a four-way speaker, the XRT2.1K has a total of 81 drivers consisting of six 8" woofers, two 6.5" low frequency midranges, and twenty-eight 2" upper frequency midranges. There are also forty-five 0.75" tweeters. The woofer and low frequency midrange drivers, housed in the large bass enclosure cabinet, are a combination of Nanocarbon Fiber/Nomex Honeycomb; they are brand new designs that were specifically created for the XRT2.1K. Located on the line array are the Aluminum–Magnesium upper frequency midrange and tweeter metal drivers, which have been specially customized for the XRT2.1K and feature neodymium magnets. The crossover network utilizes capacitors and inductors with low loss and high current capacity. The type of inductor used in each section of the crossover network has been specially chosen for high linearity, even at high power levels. This prevents distortion of the music at any frequency. Visually, the XRT2.1K is as striking as it sounds. The reinforced bass cabinet is a combination of brushed and black aluminum and is finished with seven layers of high gloss piano black paint. McIntosh's patented gold-plated Solid Cinch speaker binding posts easily but securely attach the speaker cables to prevent them from coming loose. Separate pairs of binding posts are available for the mid/high, low and subwoofer frequencies to allow for tri-amp'ing or tri-wiring.

Capital Audiofest (CAF) 2017 Show Report

Dr. Vinyl, Larsen, Pear Audio Blue, And EnKlein
CAF 2017 Show Report By Kemper Holt

Synergistic Research
CAF 2017 Show Report By Kemper Holt

12 / 13 / 17

XTZ EDGE A2-300 Stereo Power Amplifier Produces 300 Wpc @ 4 Ohms
XTZ is back in the development and production of high-quality audio electronics; and they've just announced their new EDGE A2-300 stereo power amplifier (€495). Thanks to state-of-the-art ICEpower technology, the XTZ EDGE A2-300 stereo power amplifier delivers 300 Wpc @ 4 Ohms, making it easy to power even the most power-hungry loudspeakers. With a dynamic range of up to 113dB, the amplifier offers excellent signal amplification with an absolute minimum of background noise. The damping factor is greater than 1500 to guarantee maximum signal control for a more natural and balanced sound. To minimize power consumption, the EDGE A2-300 can be used in automatic mode. Another highlight is the low output impedance of the EDGE A2-300, which leads to an even more precise bass control and is said by XTZ to be superior to traditional amplifiers in Class AB circuit. The compact design as well as the massive machined aluminum housing make the amplifier an adornment in any hi-fi rack. The input gain control on the back can be used to adjust the gain when the power amp is connected to sources other than ordinary preamps such as cell phones, media players, and so on. If you want to use the EDGE A2-300 in bi-amp'ing, you can switch the output stage to mono using a switch on the back. Industry standard 19" rack mounting is possible, which is important in particular for home cinema enthusiasts.

12 / 12 / 17

NOVO's Latest Issue Features Their 2017 Holiday Gift Guide
Enjoy the Music.com has just posted the November / December 2017 issue of NOVO (was CANADA HiFi). Articles within this issue include a very special tribute to Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip, plus a focus on virtual reality (VR) being here and where it may be going. NOVO's 2017 Holiday Gift Guide suggests many great gift ideas from record players to home robots! Within his editorial, Suave Kajko says, "It was with a great sadness that I learned about the passing of The Tragically Hip front man Gord Downie this past October. I've been listening to The Tragically Hip since a young age and own every one of their albums in various formats, including vinyl. I've strummed many of their songs on my guitar and sang their lyrics in my living room, at camp fires and cottages all over Ontario. I also had the pleasure of seeing them perform live in both small and big venues -- the most memorable of these was a performance in a park in Niagaraon-the-Lake. What an unforgettable summer night that was! The Tragically Hip is truly my favorite Canadian band and will continue to be a part of my playlist forever. Your music has greatly influenced my life and I will miss you dearly Gordie. Of course, I'm not the only big fan at NOVO - I invite you to check out Kevin Rak's "Tribute to Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip" on page 8. On a more upbeat note, this issue also contains our annual Holiday Gift Guide, which is perhaps the funniest writing assignment of the year for George and I. This year we present to you our biggest, most diverse gift guide to date. You'll find everything in this guide, from outstanding hi-fi products to home robots and the latest tech toys. I'm certain that you'll find something cool on our list, whether you plan to gift it to a loved one or decide to treat yourself." You can download your free issue of NOVO in PDF at this link.

12 / 11 / 17

Capital Audiofest (CAF) 2017 Show Report

Well Pleased A/V, Rethm, Linnenberg, Inuous, And Anticables
CAF 2017 Show Report By Kemper Holt Of Enjoy the Music.com

Odyssey And VPI
CAF 2017 Show Report By Kemper Holt

Magico Announces Their New Three-Way A3 Floorstanding Loudspeaker
Machined into the metal of every Magico loudspeaker is a subtle, yet permanent, 'M' symbol. Magico's new A3 floorstanding loudspeaker brings together a bevy of technologies at its price point of $9800. A fully braced and anodized aluminum enclosure, beryllium tweeter, carbon Nanographene cones, neodymium based motor systems and Magico's renowned elliptical crossover. Extended high frequencies are provided by a newly designed Magico pure beryllium-diaphragm tweeter with an optimized 28mm dome surface based on the fundamental design platform and geometry of the M-Project tweeter. The customized neodymium motor system is encased in an improved back chamber with our latest generation damping materials that facilitate ultra-low distortion, higher power handling, massive dynamic capabilities and extended linear voice coil movement. Magico's A3 has a newly developed 6" midrange that employs a Multi-Wall carbon fiber cone with a layer of XG Nanographene. This is to provide optimal stiffness to weight ratios and what Magico feels is an ideal damping factor. Overhung neodymium based motor systems incorporate extra-large magnets to ensure a stabilized magnetic field in the 75mm pure titanium voice coils of both the midrange and bass drivers. For bass, dual 7" woofers incorporate a version of the new Generation 8 Magico Nano-Tec cone. The same properties and materials that allow for the proper combination of stiffness, mass and damping are carried through to the lowest frequencies. The chassis has also been simulated and tested for the optimal combination of stiffness and damping. Minimum acoustical impact is achieved through reducing vibration modes while maximizing air flow. A new overhung neodymium (N48) based motor system anchors the low frequency reproducers to accomplish a super stabilized magnetic field. A pure Titanium, 75mm voice coils are consistent with the technology utilized through the midrange. All four drivers within the Magico A3 are acoustically integrated using their proprietary Elliptical Symmetry Crossover topology that utilizes state-of-the-art components from Mundorf of Germany. The three-way network features a 24dB/octave Linkwitz-Riley filter that maximizes frequency bandwidth while preserving phase linearity and minimizing intermodulation distortion. Magico's A3 massive sealed-enclosure is, like all Magico speakers, a tour-de-force of engineering. The enclosure is made entirely from 6061 T6 aircraft grade aluminum, identical materially to the enclosure developed for the Q Series. This braced, complex internal structure is finished externally with an elegant brushed anodized. Sensitivity is 88dB/W/m and it presents a 4 Ohm load. Frequency response is from 22Hz to 50kHz, dimensions are 44" x 11" x 9.25 " (HxDxW) and each one weighs 110 lbs.

12 / 08 / 17

Pro-Ject Audio Juke Box E PnP Active Turntable With MM Cartridge
Pro-Ject Audio Systems sought to provide a true, and simple, plug-and-play solution for modern vinyl lovers. The active turntable Juke Box E offers built-in pre and power amplifier, which allows you to place the speakers far away from each other to minimize the possibility of acoustic feedback and to create a real analog stereo experience. A built-in high contrast display always tells you what volume setting you are listening at and what input currently is in use. So you always know what's happening. The 32-step digital potentiometer provides perfect feedback and allows you to fine-tune to your desired volume. Pressing the volume knob switches between the available inputs. For further convenience an infrared remote control is included! With a full range of analog and digital inputs, Juke Box E becomes one of the most versatile offerings on the market. A turntable, a preamplifier, a power amplifier and a Bluetooth receiver as a good looking and audiophile one-box-solution. The Line output even lets you relay the signal to a further amplifier, such as Pro-Ject's Head Box S2, to become a complete setup. Pricing for Pro-Ject Audio Systems' Juke Box E with OM 5e cartridge in high gloss red, black, or white is €449. Juke Box E system with color-matched two-way bookshelf speakers is €699. See our World Premiere review of the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon RecordMaster HiRes turntable at this link.

12 / 07 / 17

Parasound ZoneMaster 2350 Class D Stereo Amplifier Inc. Sub Xover
Parasound has introduced the ZoneMaster 2350 ($1295), a powerful 350 Watt per channel Class D stereo power amplifier with a crossover for subwoofers. The Parasound ZoneMaster 2350 draws on the company's heritage of low-noise class AB input stages and analog bass management, combined with high quality Class D amplification to drive 8 Ohm speakers to 350 Watts per channel, and deliver up to 600 Watts per channel into 4 Ohms. Parasound's 2350 high current design and extensive heat-sinking enable it to easily drive 2 Ohm loads in demanding applications. The Parasound ZoneMaster 2350 includes a package of unique installer-friendly features that have proven popular on several of Parasound's other ZoneMaster amplifiers. These include a two-channel analog 80Hz, 24dB/octave low-pass crossover for driving one or more in-wall passive subwoofers without the need for external crossovers, separate line-level and speaker-level inputs, A & B speakers, a mono/stereo mode switch, a 30Hz/80-Hz high-pass filter to improve performance with small speakers, stereo loop outputs, a dedicated mono line output, and audio-sensing or 12 Volt trigger auto turn-on options. Frequency response is from 10Hz to 70kHz with a SNR of >100dB. Dimensions are 17.25" x 14.5" 4.25" (WxDxH) and it weighs 15 lbs.

Industry News 10 Years Ago
House Ear Institute "It's How You Listen That Counts"
House Ear Institute (HEI), a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing hearing science through research and education to improve quality of life, is helping to educate teens and young adults with an awareness campaign titled "It's How You Listen That Counts". With prominent placement of Ear Bud, the campaign's mascot, the key is to get the message across concerning hearing conservation. To build on the success of its initial run on MTV, the campaign's educational video spot featuring Ear Bud and teens is posted on YouTube.com, and a profile of Ear Bud has attracted a network of friends on MySpace.com. It is estimated that children and teens represent roughly half of those suffering from noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in the United States, with 5.2 million 6 to 19 year olds showing a hearing loss directly related to noise exposure. "The House Ear Institute feels it is imperative to educate teens and young adults on the importance of smart listening habits so they know how to protect their hearing from damage over the long term," says Marilee Potthoff, program director, House Ear Institute. "The early success of our initiative shows that impacting this younger audience is possible with the right message strategically delivered through the media they favor."

12 / 06 / 17

Hi-Fi+'s December Magazine Features Many High-End Audio Reviews
Hi-Fi+ Magazine's December 2017 issue features their very special annual Awards! Meet Your Maker features high-end audio company Wilson Benesch. This issue also features show reports of RMAF and CanJam in Colorado. Hardware reviews within this issue include Gamut Audio Zodiac floorstanding loudspeaker, Questyle Audio QP2R digital audio player, plus CAAS Audio Elysium preamplifier and mono power amplifiers. Within his editorial Hi-Fi+ Awards 2017 Celebrates Audio's Best, Alan Sircom says "Our annual Awards issue not only is the perfect showcase for the best products we have seen over the last 12 months, but gives us a moment of reflection over the wider audio market. If we are being truly honest, the last 12 months or so have been difficult, especially in the UK as uncertainty over our post-European future has caused consumer confidence to rise and fall chaotically until relatively recently. And it may still fluctuate. This is not a period of recession, so the average person in the street is not in constant fear of losing their jobs in the way we were a decade ago. But that fractured consumer confidence does have an effect on buying habits. We are all guilty of forgetting how to enjoy spending our money, even those with disposable income to spend." See what's within this issue of Hi-Fi+ Magazine at this link.

12 / 05 / 17

Analogue Productions Ultra High Quality Record (UHQR) Vinyl LPs
To coincide with the 50th Anniversary of Axis: Bold As Love, Analogue Productions plans to release a definitive, handmade, limited-run reissue edition of Jimi Hendrix's 1967 masterpiece in both stereo and mono versions. The title is the debut effort of Analogue Productions' and Quality Record Pressings' reintroduction of the revered Ultra High Quality Record (UHQR), originally introduced by JVC Japan in the 1980s. "Reintroducing the UHQR is one of the biggest things we've done," said Acoustic Sounds and Analogue Productions CEO Chad Kassem. "These are going to be the best records ever made. To announce the series properly we wanted to hit a home run with a huge title, and I don't know that we could have done much better than this." This UHQR is newly remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog master tapes. Each UHQR will be pressed at Acoustic Sounds' industry-leading pressing plant Quality Record Pressings (QRP) using Clarity Vinyl (free of any contaminants or pigments) on a manual Finebilt press with attention paid to every single detail of every single record. The 200-gram records will feature the same flat profile that helped to make the original UHQR so desirable. From the lead-in groove to the run-out groove, there is no pitch to the profile, allowing the customer's stylus to play truly perpendicular to the grooves from edge to center. Clarity Vinyl is said to allow for the purest possible pressing and the most visually stunning presentation. Every UHQR will be hand inspected upon pressing completion, and only the truly flawless will be allowed to go to market. Each UHQR will be packaged in a deluxe box and will include a booklet detailing the entire process of making a UHQR along with a hand-signed certificate of inspection. This will be a truly deluxe, collectible product. The Axis: Bold As Love UHQR will include a 16-page booklet featuring recording information from the sessions at Olympic Studios in London and an essay written by Brad Tolinski, former Editor of Guitar World Magazine. Each Axis UHQR will be available as two versions: Mono and Stereo. The Stereo release will be limited to 5000 copies, while the mono release will be limited to 1500 copies. The deluxe box will be gold foil numbered. Each copy will retail for $100.

Industry News Bonus Video Features

Acoustic Sounds Office Tour With Chad Kassem

Quality Record Pressings / Acoustic Sounds Vinyl LP Pressing Plant Tour

12 / 04 / 17

Capital Audiofest (CAF) 2017 Show Report

Capital Audiofest (CAF) 2017 Show Report
Baby Has Grown Up...
CAF 2017 Show Report By Greg Weaver

Capital Audiofest (CAF) 2017 Show Report Intro
CAF 2017 Show Report By Kemper Holt

The Audio Company, Von Schweikert, VAC, Esoteric, MasterBuilt Audio, And ASC
CAF 2017 Show Report By Kemper Holt

GT Audio Works, Sound Insight, Pass Labs, And Triode Wire Labs
CAF 2017 Show Report By Kemper Holt

More Capital Audiofest 2017 coverage coming, so check back daily.

Hi-Fi World's January 2018 Issue Features Their Annual Awards
Hi-Fi World's January 2018 issue features their very special 2017 Awards! Inside this issue you'll find products of 2017 that really stood out. All receive Hi-Fi World's prestigious globe award. There's also an Xmas Quiz to find out how much do you know about the world of audio and music. Reviews in this issue include MarkAudio-SOTA Cesti B loudspeakers, Wharfedale Diamond 11.3 loudspeakers, Naim Uniti & Uniti Atom Core, Questyle CMA400i headphone amplifier, Isotek Evo3 Coros Powerbar, Aphex Aural Exciter, Art USB Phono Plus, and Final E2000 / E3000 in-ear headphones. Within Noel Keywood's editorial he says, "Outstanding products still exist. The way Technics recently re-engineered the motor of their SL-1200G Direct Drive turntable is one shining example. Nowadays, Direct Drive motors are used everywhere and Technics could have bought one in. Or they could have asked Hanpin of Taiwan or a Chinese supplier to do 'em a cheap deal on a big order. Instead they have designed entirely their own dedicated turntable motor, platter and all else using the latest materials and technologies, all built in Japan. We had to be impressed at Hi-Fi World. Our measurements revealed a performance unmatched elsewhere. What more could you ask for than one of the world's top CE companies to apply this much investment and dedication to a hi-fi turntable. Unsurprising then that the Timestep Technics SL-1200GR should receive one of our World Awards for 2017. Simply outstanding." See what's within the January 2018 issue of Hi-Fi World and read the complete editorial at this link.

12 / 01 / 17

Enjoy the Music.com's December Review Magazine Is Now Available Online
Enjoy the Music.com's December Review Magazine features our 12th annual Great Audiophile Gift suggestions, gear reviews, and many show reports. We've wrapped up Dave Hanson's in-depth CanJam @ RMAF coverage and hi-fi gear reports from RMAF 2017 by Kemper Holt and Steven R. Rochlin. There's no doubt Rick Becker's TAVES 2017 coverage is the industry's most extensive, and not to be missed! Our Capital Audiofest coverage by Kemper Holt has begun, with more to post in the coming days. See what's within this month's edition of Enjoy the Music.com's Review Magazine at this link.

Everyone at Enjoy the Music.com wishes you and yours a wonderful holiday season and prosperous 2018. As always, in the end what really matters is that you...

Enjoy the Music,

Steven R. Rochlin
Creative Director
Enjoy the Music.com

We Say Goodbye To 2017 And Hello To 1999
Yes, welcome to 1999 music lovers, and here's why...
Article By Steven R. Rochlin

The Man Who Didn't Like Music
Roger Skoff writes about our hobby and some of the people who share it.
Article By Roger Skoff

Capital Audiofest (CAF) 2017 & CanMania Show Report
Our extensive show coverage of CAF & CanMania 2017 is now online!

TAVES 2017 Show Report
Toronto Audio Video Entertainment Show

Enjoy the Music.com's Great Audiophile Gift 2017
Our list of great gifts to give your audiophile this holiday season.
Article By Enjoy the Music.com Staff

PureAudioProject Trio15 Horn1 Open Baffle Design Speaker
A trip down the rabbit hole.
Review By Paul L. Schumann

World Premiere Review!
Rogue Audio RP-7 Tube Preamplifier
A very flexible and fantastic high-end vacuum tube preamplifier.
Review By Tom Lyle

ZMF Auteur Over-Ear Headphone
Pure Bliss: ZMF crafts a worthy flagship and a musical masterpiece!
Review By Dave Hanson

More Articles Available Online!
See all our show reports, articles, and gear reviews within Enjoy the Music.com's Review Magazine now available online.