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Over the many years that I've been involved in high quality home audio, there's been no part of system that has given me more concern, and kept me from making a decision for what my system needs, than the preamp or linestage. Seems silly, as in theory at least, a preamp or linestage should be... Read More »

I was certainly looking forward to attending THE Show. Their move to the Hilton Orange County in Costa Mesa, CA meant I'd only have a short twenty-minute drive each day. And though health reasons kept me from submitting my report from last year's show in Long Beach, I heard enough good things there that I... Read More »

Last year I had the opportunity to visit with a friend and listen to their system that included the $329,000 Wilson Chronosonic XVX Loudspeakers. Their system is certainly one version of "state-of-the-art" and one of the very best systems I've ever heard. Over the years I've heard many other very expensive, high quality systems that... Read More »

This won't be about what you think it will be about. It won't be the typical audio rant about typical audio topics; no arguments about digital vs analog or tube vs solid-state or what music constitutes a worthy effort for a high end system. It will be something a little different. But first, I've noticed... Read More »

There is something to be said for stability in an audio system. In this case I don't mean "stability" as in free of vibration or unwanted movement, though that is obviously essential in a quality audio setup. I mean stable as in it is good to have some pieces of equipment that don't get swapped... Read More »

Though I'm known among my audio friends as an analog and LP guy, I actually spend more time listening to digital music than my LP collection. Especially since I first signed up for Tidal in 2017, streaming has been my main source for listening to new music, and for hunting down all the old stuff... Read More »

I've had the same Linn LP12 turntable in my system for thirty-six years. Regular maintenance has kept it in tip-top condition. Of course it has had a few different cartridges over that time, but with one exception it is the same now as when I bought it in 1984. That one exception being replacing the... Read More »

A little over three years ago, I reviewed the original PS Audio Sprout integrated amplifier (HERE). That unit received widespread acclaim throughout the audio press for its feature set, performance and price. However, those who paid attention to my review would recognize that though I respected it for its effort and its potential significance in... Read More »

This will be the first of another sporadically updated series I hope to do, maybe annually or maybe more often, about helping people set up their first real stereo system. I'll help them through the process of deciding what they hope to accomplish (hopefully wanting to listen to their favorite music at home and have... Read More »

One of the things I have learned to expect and appreciate in my search for high-value, lower-cost equipment is that as the price goes down the differences between gear increase, and the need to understand your biases and preferences becomes more important as you will have to accept certain compromises. As I have listened to... Read More »

I've been doing this for a long time, playing with audio gear since early 1970s. But it was heading to Rochester, NY for college in 1975 where I was finally in a city with several high quality audio shops and people I could hang out with who owned nice (dare I say high-end) audio systems.... Read More »

As anyone who has followed my work for the past twenty years or so know, I am all about lower cost, high value audio. I love finding equipment that punches above is price class and attempts to give real, solid, quality sound with the potential for long term satisfaction. I feel I have been pretty... Read More »

I know I always start my show report with some kind of a rant about the state of the high-end audio as both an industry and a hobby. Not this time. After spending four full days at T.H.E Show Newport 2016 (if you include the "press and VIP" day on Thursday), I can say this... Read More »

There's been a long, and I think unfortunate trend in the upper reaches of high-end audio over the last fifteen years or so. It is the moving of high end audio from an endeavor based on making gear whose principle raison d'être is to sound really good and to honor the music we listen to,... Read More »

I've been interested in high-end audio since the mid 1970s, maybe even before that, certainly before anyone used the term High End Audio. This was mostly due to my love for music, and happening to have a few school friends and acquaintances who parents had really good systems. It wasn't until I was in college... Read More »

I have to confess. Since moving away from CDs and other physical digital media (at least from a playback standpoint) I actually listen to music digitally more than I ever imagined I would. Looking back over the last year or so, I probably have more actual listening time using my budget digital server system than... Read More »

The past few years I've been pretty soured on the whole Audio Show routine. Too much excessively high priced equipment being demonstrated to appeal to a smaller and smaller market of ultra rich clients, left me feeling I'd be more welcome in a yacht club membership committee meeting than most of the rooms exhibiting at... Read More »

Over the past several years, one of the big topics in field of high end or perfectionist audio has been how to get new people, and especially younger people, to participate. That means not just getting a new generation to both appreciate better sound and gear, but more importantly, getting them to actually buy better... Read More »

When talking about the controversial topic of audio cables, there are three specific areas that keep getting discussed: Do cables actually sound different? If they do sound different, are any actually better, or are they just different? Is whatever difference they may or may not create worth the price? My answer to Point 1 was... Read More »