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The latest additions to the Audionet Scientist Series, the new Mach linestage and the Schrödinger mono amplifiers are under examination in my reference system. At two-thirds the price of the Audionet statement Stern linestage and Heisenberg monos, and delivering the lion’s share of their performance, these new machines so closely match their performance that many... Read More »

Today’s episode had its genesis some while ago, over a listening session with one of my closest friends and industry colleagues, Maurice Jeffries. Today, I’m happy to present part one, the first half of this realized concept, as we hear Maurice present a list of ten alternate jazz recordings that, while they may not be... Read More »

Today, I explore both the genesis, and the experience, of the new Parasound JCA100 Tribute amplifier, both in stand-alone and vertical biamplification applications with the Halo JC1. I was fortunate enough to have been granted the opportunity to publish the first review of the Parasound Halo JC1+, the long-awaited revision to its venerated and nearly... Read More »

Today I want to relate the exceptional experiences I’ve enjoyed with the Dejitter It Systems Switch X and WiFi X, an advanced set of Networking devices that have reset my expectations and understanding of the effects such products may contribute to the sound quality of digital music playback. And with just a bit of a... Read More »

Today I share my look at the remarkable $6,320 a pair Atma-Sphere Class D monoblock amplifiers. Measuring a diminutive eleven inches wide, thirteen inches deep, standing just three inches tall, at an unimposing fourteen pounds, you may not be prepared for the surprising level of performance you are about to experience. The use of GaNFET... Read More »

Today, I’ll share my experiences with some of the most accomplished presentations I discovered over the four days of the final Munich-based High End Society event held at the Munich Order Center. The rooms featuring Cessaro, Alsyvox, and Clarisys loudspeakers, and the Aries Cerat full system, were simply among the best sounding systems I’ve ever... Read More »

Today we’ll explore a number of the incredible sounding rooms that were on exhibit at the 2025 Munich High End event. I’ll share my thoughts on rooms using Kronos Audio analog gear, Master Fidelity digital gear, a captivating TIDAL system, Soulution’s new tangent tracking turntable using a unique approach, and two rooms using Acora Acoustics... Read More »

With this week’s tour of events during the final High End Society show to be held in Munich, we’ll meet and hear from two of my favorite people in our industry, Ewald Verkerk, the International Sales Manager for two superb manufacturers, Mola Mola of the Netherlands, and the UKs Vivid Audio, and Vivid Audio’s Chief... Read More »

While True Life Audio wasn’t launching anything new at this High End Munich, the presentation of their Supreme series of products in two different systems in Hall 4 really served to stir growing excitement and generate a buzz during this year’s event, attention and recognition that are very well deserved, and long overdue. Today, we’ll... Read More »

There were so many product introductions at this past High End show in Munich that it was simply impossible to keep track of them all. But one of the more interesting premiers, and perhaps less publicized but no less important, took place in Hall 4.1, Room E109, Sponsored by Wod Audio, Today we’ll hear from... Read More »

Today I begin sharing my experiences during High End Munich 2025, beginning with a discussion with the CEO and Lead Engineer of Berlin’s world-class Audionet electronics.

Kalista’s flagship $65,000 DreamPlay X Optical Disc player/Streamer/DAC/Preamp and the similarly fashioned $64,000 Mantax DAC, represent both a no-holds-barred and an unparalleled level of versatility to the regeneration of digital music.

In this episode, I share the experience of my February trip to Orlando, Florida, to assist my friend and colleague, Maurice Jeffries, with the installation of the Kronos Sparta turntable into his reference system. Have a look…

Last week’s tour of the Valve Amplification Company, as presented by VAC’s Maestro Kevin Hayes, set the stage for today’s conversation with Kevin about the new VAC flagship amplifier, the Statement 455 iQ Musicbloc™.

After that conversation, I also share my experiences with the evolution of the entire VAC Statement series of amps, the 450iQ, the 452iQ, and this new masterpiece, the 455iQ. If that may be of interest to you, take a look at it here…

Today, I’m pleased to present something that I’ve been wanting to accomplish and have talked about doing for more than a decade…a visit and factory tour of one of America’s most iconic, highly regarded, and premier electronics manufacturers, the Valve Amplification Company, or VAC for short, in Sarasota, Florida.

Kevin Hayes and his father, Channing, founded the company in Sarasota, Florida, nearly thirty-five years ago in 1990. Kevin appeared on the channel previously, in Episode 54 in early August of 2021. With that episode, he took the time to share the remarkable VAC story. It is a truly amazing conversation, and I have linked it in today’s description for those who may have missed it originally

Last week I brought you eight wonderful-sounding rooms I encountered during the Sophomore Southwest Audio Fest, held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Today, I’ll recap my choices for the top five performances turned in over that three-day event.

These systems include the Lalique Room, by Krystal Clear Audio-Video, the Batik Room, sponsored by Next Level HiFi, the Edelweiss Room, sponsored by High End by Oz, the Wyeth room, featuring the Reference Line of MBL electronics by MBL North America, and the Carpenter Ballroom, sponsored by the Valve Amplification Company, and Acora Acoustics.

It’s hard to believe that this was just the second Southwest Audio Fest… The attitudes, the spirit, the overall upbeat and enthusiastic tenor of this sophomore event were so positive, so fun, and so engaging, that I’m even more convinced than I was after the premier show that with proper marketing and sensible management, the Southwest Audio Fest has the potential to become a premier event on the annual show circuit.

That said, in this episode you get an idea of eight amazing performances I heard during my time at the remarkable venue that hosts this up-and-coming event, in Dallas, the Hilton Anatole. Are you ready? Here we go…

This week finds us midway through the most hectic time of the year for me, spring show season. With Florida and Southwest behind us – and with plenty of coverage of the Southwest Audio Fest to follow here soon – but with AXPONA and High-End Munich still to come, I find myself almost overwhelmed by the sheer volume of my workload.

With the additional challenges of this season, combined with the enduring popularity and remarkably enthusiastic reception that my after-hours curated LP sessions continue to enjoy at shows, today I revisit a seemingly incongruent topic. Many audio hobbyists seem to believe that audiophiles are people who listen to gear, while music lovers aren’t as demanding and simply choose to revel in the music, regardless of the gear used, and that the two are somehow necessarily disparate objectives. Let’s dive in…

With previous episodes “216,” from March 2nd, and “218,” from last week, March 16th, I’ve shared some of my experiences with, and taken you on several room visits, at the 2025 Florida International Audio Fest. Today, we’ll dive into the highlights of my Top Five Rooms at the 2025 show. For clarity, all system pricing information is provided in today’s Description section.

First, we start with Room 451, sponsored by Ball Audio Distribution And System Solutions (or, BADASS for short!), and Margules Audio. Then on to Brandon 2, sponsored by Supreme Acoustic Systems, followed by a visit to Salon 1, sponsored by Next Level HiFi, then we move next door to Salon 3, sponsored by Clarisys Audio, and finally, a visit to the Palm Room, sponsored by the Valve Amplification Company, Acora Acoustics, and Scott Walker Audio. Ready, set, go!