Eminent Technology LFT8c Loudspeaker Review
Dipole done well.
Review By Jules Coleman
If you are not familiar with Bruce Thigpen,
it's time you were. Bruce has been among the more creative and innovative designers in the audio industry over the past forty years. He began his career by working on what was to become the Infinity turntable, which he followed with the classic and much-admired ET 2 linear tracking tonearm (parts and updates are still available for the model 1, ET-2 and ET- 2.5), before turning his attention to magnetic planar loudspeakers. Beginning with the full-range planar LFT3, he ultimately shifted focus to hybrid designs featuring planar mid and high-frequency drivers mated with traditional cone drivers to handle the lower frequencies. The shift in focus led to the development of the LFT-8 introduced in 1989 and then widely distributed beginning in 1990, the transformative version of which, LFT-8c, is the subject of this
review.
--->
Eminent Technology LFT8c Loudspeaker Review.
World Premiere Review!
Zesto Audio Eros 500 Select Class A
Monoblock Review
The Eros 500 is a neutral, realistic, and natural-sounding amplifier. true standard of excellence.
Review By Robert H. Levi
The more I immerse myself in this
hobby since I retired from the entertainment industry in 2008, the more certain
I have become that the amplifier is the most important and telling piece of
equipment in your system. It was in the late 1970s that J. Gordon Holt stated in Stereophile that
one should buy a very good speaker that fits your needs and then bust your
budget on an excellent amplifier. I have more or less followed that advice over
the last half century of reproducing music in my home. Lately, however, with the
maturation of really great tube and hybrid source devices, phono preamp sources
and superb LP pressings, extraordinary phono cartridges, SACDs, much improved
digital streaming with high resolution, and the maturing science of neutral and
high-definition interconnectivity, I have confirmed that JGH was 100% right.
--->
Zesto Audio Eros 500 Select Class A Monoblock Review.
This Weekend! Montreal Audiofest 2025
Audiophile Show Info & Report
The Salon Audio Montreal Audiofest
2025 takes place from March 28th through 30th with more than 5000 visitors
expected who desired listening, seeing, and touching over 300 brands of high-end
audiophile products
all under one roof. As the largest show in Canada, attendees will experienced
the very best high-end audio and video/videophile industry distributors, manufacturers, and retailers in Canada.
Within each listening room, exhibitors are overjoyed to share their passion for music with you by demonstrating some of the world's best sound systems from
$5000 to $500,000. Montréal Audiofest is celebrating its 36th edition
in 2025 and remains the must-attend event for audiophiles, high-end audio gear
enthusiasts, and music lovers. This long-standing
event has become a tradition in showcasing the very latest advances in high-technology,
high-fidelity audio equipment in Canada.
---> Montreal Audiofest 2025 Audiophile Show
Info & Report.
RIAA 2024 USA Recorded Music Revenue Report
According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), an organization that advocates for recorded music business, "Last year, for the first time ever, paid streaming subscriptions hit 100 million in the US." The report is quite an eye-opener as "The digital milestone represents the largest source of revenue – coupled with
vinyl's nearly two-decade resurgence and emerging partnerships – and shows the variety of ways fans are interacting with music. The full RIAA 2024 Year-End Revenue Report reflects sustained and continued growth in recorded music, now valued at
$17.7 billion retail and $11.3 billion wholesale." With an estimated $17.7 billion in revenue, the continued growth in 2024 adding half a billion dollars since 2023. As expected, the streaming music sector is financially the largest driver at $14.9 billion via ad-supported services, paid subscriptions, custom/digital online radio, social media platforms, etc. While we'll get to vinyl LP sales shortly, note that digital music revenue accounts for 84% of total revenues for the third year in a
row.
---> RIAA 2024 USA Recorded Music Revenue Report.
Total HiFi Experience
Features Three Shows In 2025
Total HiFi Experience is a premier event for music, entertainment, tech, and media enthusiasts. In 2025, it will feature several exciting events across the United States of America. T.H.E. Lone Star Audiofest is from May 2nd through 4th at Embassy Suites Round Rock in Austin, Texas. Next up is T.H.E. Show SoCal from June 6th through 8th at Hilton Orange County Costa Mesa in California. Under new show promotion leadership is T.H.E. New York International Audio Show from October 24th through 26th (venue to be announced). These events plan to showcase high-end audio demonstrations, retailers offering for sale rare vinyl and CDs, and more.
Total HiFi Experience's events also include seminars, personal audio experiences, and opportunities to connect with industry
leaders.
---> Total HiFi Experience Features Three Shows In 2025.
ZYLIA
High-End Recording For Stereo, Binaural, And Spatial / Immersive Audio
ZYLIA, a leading innovative company that produces world-class recording technologies, offers their 6DoF Impulse Response (IR) technology that transforms spatial audio by allowing complete positional and rotational freedom in an immersive sound environment. Unlike traditional impulse responses, which capture sound from a fixed position, 6DoF IRs dynamically adapt to the listener's movement — just like in real life. Audiophiles who vist shows and record audio take note, especially those who value recording stereo, binaural, and immersive sound in one easy step. 6DoF Impulse Responses refer to spatial audio impulse responses that support six degrees of freedom – the listener can rotate (yaw, pitch, roll) and move (along X, Y, Z axes) while the sound field adjusts accordingly. This allows for a truly interactive and lifelike audio experience. With 6DoF audio, your fans get to enjoy far more than just the sound — they can fully experience it.
---> ZYLIA High-End Recording For Stereo, Binaural, And Spatial / Immersive Audio.
New Les Paul Recording Studio
In Hollywood, California
The new Les Paul Recording Studio in Hollywood, California, is a tribute to the legendary musician and innovator Les Paul. Les Paul, born Lester William Polsfuss on June 9, 1915, in Wisconsin, was a legendary musician, inventor, and innovator. He is best known for his groundbreaking contributions to music, including the invention of the solid-body electric guitar and pioneering recording techniques like
multi-track recording and overdubbing. The museum with his namesake is located in the historic United Recording building on Sunset Boulevard, this state-of-the-art facility combines meticulously restored original equipment used by Les Paul with modern recording technologies. The studio's centerpiece is 'The Monster,' an eight-channel mixing console built by Les Paul and Rein Narma in the 1950s. This groundbreaking console introduced features like in-line equalization and vibrato effects, and it played a pivotal role in the birth of multi-track recording.
---> New Les Paul Recording Studio In Hollywood,
California.
Southwest Audio Fest 2025
Show Report
Now
in their second year, the Southwest Audio Fest
(SWAF) high-end audio show by the dynamic duo Gary Gill (Capital Audiofest) and Lou Hinkley (Pacific
AudioFest / Daedalus Audio) brings magical music to Dallas. SWAF 2025 follows
their sensational success with the popular Pacific Audio Fest event. Attendees
may listen to many of the world's top manufacturers who create a wide variety
of exciting home and portable audio products. Within this expansive Resort
environment, bask in luxurious sounds that caress your ears and bring newfound
meaning to many of the songs you've heard many times in the past. All this and
more within a curated experience filled with fine art and acres of event
space. The show promoters worked very hard to secure this amazing event venue, which is extremely safe, family fun friendly, and features great weather during March too!
---> Southwest Audio Fest 2025
High-End Audiophile Show Report.
Music And Mindfulness For Stress Reduction
Mindfulness is very real and it provides a powerful change in perspective.
Article By Gideon Waxman Of Drum Helper
Mindfulness
is an incredibly liberating practice; one that has exploded as a recent
phenomenon in the western world. Interestingly, us moderns are the last people
on the planet to uncover the wealth of treasures it has to offer. Music and
mindfulness are indeed complementary practices. Music and sounds
make a wonderful object of focus for the mind, with mindful listening proven to
boost our overall well-being and reduce stress significantly. Whilst mindfulness is still finding its way into mainstream
culture, music is universal and plays a prominent role in everyday life for most
people. Humans are surrounded by music. It is undeniable that it affects people's moods and emotions, as it engages broad neural networks in the brain.
Playing a musical instrument or listening to music whilst encompassing mindful
values can transform the experience; creating the framework for a powerful
stress reduction and unlocking the full potential music has to offer as it
unfolds in the present moment.
--->
Music And Mindfulness For Stress Reduction.
YG Acoustics Hailey 2.2 Floorstanding
Loudspeaker Review
The middleweight contender....
Review By Phil Gold
Cards on the
table. I've owned the YG Carmel and the YG Carmel
2, each of which I've reviewed in these pages in January 2012 and July 2015
respectively. You can read them here and weep. I'm addicted to
the ultra-high resolution, low distortion, lightning reflexes, dynamic range and
the holographic imaging of the Carmel speakers. They are not for everyone.
Due to the particular way they are constructed from billets of aircraft grade
aluminum, they cost a lot of money, and due to their relatively small size, they
don't reach down all that deep. The sealed box design does provide a superbly
fast accurate bass, but while the quality is high, the quantity is limited. Today I'm going to look at the latest version of
the Carmel's bigger brother, the Hailey 2.2.
--->
YG Acoustics Hailey 2.2 Floorstanding Loudspeakers.
Pro-Ject X2 Vinyl LP Turntable Review
Easy to set up and very easy to use. You will not be disappointed.
Review By Tom Lyle
As
the technology advances, it's only natural for any decent audio manufacturer to
take advantage of this new technology. And so, when Pro-Ject was faced with
improving upon their Debut and Xpression series of turntables, which are both
very successful designs, they decided to, in their words, "improve on the
technologies that had already been established". As a result, Pro-Ject
introduced their X1 and X2 turntables. The X2, the subject of this review,
besides many other improvements, , makes the most of higher quality raw
materials to use in its production (even though they are more difficult to
source), and also increases the size of the turntable's existing components,
which resulted in the chassis, platter and tonearm having greater mass, which
made the turntable "heavier, and more robust".
--->
Pro-Ject X2 Vinyl LP Turntable Review.
Sony
VFETs In Push-Pull Class A By Nelson Pass
Common Source Mode, Transformer
Coupled
Article By Nelson Pass
This article is the first of a series presenting fairly simple
"Do-It-Yourself" audio power amplifiers using Static Induction Transistors. SITs are a rare breed of transistor which have characteristics particularly
desired by some audiophiles. They were first developed in Japan in the
early 1970's and known then as VFETs. Brought to market by Sony and Yamaha
in the 1970's and into the 80's they largely vanished except as a lingering
legend among audio aficionados. My hands-on experience with SITs followed the publication of
my 2010 piece "The Sweet Spot" where I discussed positioning the operating points of Class A amplifiers for
load lines which allowed trade-offs involving the characteristic curves of the
devices. One of these, equivalent to the Plate Resistance in tubes, we
will call Drain Resistance and it is possible to exploit this for better (or at
least different) performance.
---> Sony VFETs In Push-Pull Class A By Nelson Pass.
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