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E232: High End Munich 2025: Four Extraordinary Rooms

AudioAnalyst — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 16:10:22 +0000

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 »

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E231: High End Munich 2025: Six Exceptional Rooms

AudioAnalyst — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 17:58:39 +0000

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 »

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E230: High End Munich 2025: Mola Mola & Vivid Audio

AudioAnalyst — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 21:59:12 +0000

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 »

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E229: High End Munich 2025: With True Life Audio

AudioAnalyst — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 19:39:54 +0000

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 »

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E228: High End Munich 2025: Kubala-Sosna Ovation & XPander Introductions

AudioAnalyst — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 17:30:47 +0000

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 »

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E227: High End Munich 2025-Updates from Audionet

AudioAnalyst — Wed, 28 May 2025 20:14:25 +0000

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.

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E226: Kalista's Exceptional DreamPlay X & Mantax

AudioAnalyst — Wed, 28 May 2025 20:10:57 +0000

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.

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E225: Kronos Updates: The New Apartment Lounge featuring Maurice Jeffries

AudioAnalyst — Wed, 28 May 2025 20:07:34 +0000

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…

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E224: The Valve Amplification Company's Statement 455iQ Musicbloc™ Amp

AudioAnalyst — Wed, 28 May 2025 16:47:34 +0000

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…

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E223: The Valve Amplification Company: A Factory Tour

AudioAnalyst — Wed, 28 May 2025 16:42:43 +0000

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

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E222-SWAF 2025-Top Five Rooms

AudioAnalyst — Thu, 01 May 2025 16:23:51 +0000

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.

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E221: SWAF 2025 - Standout Rooms

AudioAnalyst — Thu, 01 May 2025 16:22:51 +0000

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…

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E220: When Audiophilia and Music Meet

AudioAnalyst — Thu, 01 May 2025 16:22:51 +0000

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…

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E219: Top Five Rooms - Florida International Audio Expo

AudioAnalyst — Thu, 01 May 2025 16:22:51 +0000

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!

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E218: More from the Florida International Audio Expo

AudioAnalyst — Thu, 01 May 2025 16:20:51 +0000

In episode 216, from March 2nd, I shared my overall impressions of the sixth Florida International Audio Expo, from the new venue, the Sheraton Tampa Brandon Hotel, to how I perceived the event, and highlighted my impressions of the importance of a very affordable, and overachieving, monitor, developed and presented by nepo baby Lucca Chesky.

All things considered, it was both an ambitious and very enjoyable event, with some exceptionally well-done presentations from many exhibitors and manufacturers. Today, I’ll share some of the more impressive accomplishments there. As always, all equipment pricing detail is presented in today’s Description section.

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E217: Are You Ready For The Southwest Audio Fest?

AudioAnalyst — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:57:36 +0000

If you saw my coverage of last March’s inaugural Southwest Audio Fest, held at the beautiful Hilton Anatol in Dallas, you’ll recall that this freshman event earned near-universal acclaim from the members of the press. This new event was lauded as showing remarkable potential to become one of the premiere events on the American show circuit.

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E216: Florida's International Audio Expo 2025 and the Crazy Good Chesky LC1

AudioAnalyst — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:56:23 +0000

While I have been trying to go to this show for several years now, thwarted repeatedly by bad weather conditions canceling my flights and making it impractical to reschedule, or last year, with a scheduling conflict for a surgical procedure, I finally made it for the 2025 edition of this event.

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E215: World Premiere: The Børresen Acoustics M2 Loudspeaker

AudioAnalyst — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:55:26 +0000

Many of you will recall that I had the opportunity to be the first to listen to, and report on, the $280,000-a-pair Børresen M3 loudspeakers here at the channel, with Episodes “E140: First Listen: Børresen M3 Loudspeaker,” in September of 2023, and “E158: World Premiere-The Børresen M3 Loudspeaker,” from January of 2024.

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E214: The Audience forte V8 Power Conditioner

AudioAnalyst — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:54:27 +0000

If you’ve been following my “Second Space” series of episodes, which are explorations of considerably more affordable products than those that I more typically cover, like those that are integrated into my own Hyper-Audio reference system, you will know that I’ve recently spent some time covering the amazing work being done by Audience, of San Marcos, California.

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E213: The KRONOS Discovery Phonostage - A New Benchmark

AudioAnalyst — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:53:31 +0000

Today will feature the last episode covering my four-day visit to GTT Audio in Long Valley, NJ, two weeks ago, and will focus on one of the most significant, engaging, and important analog products I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing, the KRONOS Discovery Phonostage.

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E212: The Audionet Mach and Schrödinger Experience

AudioAnalyst — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:52:31 +0000

In this week’s episode, Bill Parish and I discuss the introduction of the latest products to join the Audionet Scientist Series of electronics, the Mach linestage and the Schrödinger monoblock amplifiers. These products may represent the most important product introduction in Audionet’s nearly three-and-a-half-decade history.

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E211: The KRONOS Perpetual Experience

AudioAnalyst — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:51:42 +0000

Today Bill Parish and I discuss the relevant takeaways, and perhaps the deeper significance of what my latest extended stay at GTT and listen to the production release of the KRONOS Perpetual Turntable may have to offer.

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E210: What's in Store for 2025

AudioAnalyst — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:50:46 +0000

Today we Have a look at what is coming over the first months, and on into the year 2025.

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E209: The Fosi V3/SparkoS SS3602 Full Monty

AudioAnalyst — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:49:46 +0000

Today we take a look at the results of what I am calling the Fosi Audio V3/SparkoS Labs SS3602 “Full Monty.” The V3s, pimped out with a pair of the SS3602s in the two “significant” OpAmp locations, likely used to drive each half of the differential input for the V3s tiny Class-D amplifier chip, the Texas Instruments TPA3116D2, provide some exhilarating performance.

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E208: Audience OHNO and forte F3 Cable Loom

AudioAnalyst — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:47:58 +0000

This week, we’ll explore the advantages that come with implementing a full loom of cabling comprised of the same series of products from a single manufacturer. Specifically, we will take a closer look at the benefits I’ve realized with the installation of a loom of the entry-level series of OHNO cables, including interconnects and speaker cables, and non-captured AC cords, the forte F3 powerChords, from Audience.

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