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Computer audio is a little bit like Sauron's "Ring." It promises audiophiles control over their digital files, easier access to information about the music they are listening to and even dominion over the information from the overlord of information called the interwebs all from your throne, er listening seat. What's not to like? That's the lure. The... Read More »

The Compact Disc player launched some time ago by the Norwegian Hegel Audio company was called the Mohican. It is a clear allusion to The Last of the Mohicans, a novel by James Fenimore Cooper from the year 1826, which shouts: "the Compact Disc format is dead!", i.e. all digital optical disc formats are the past.... Read More »

The Grado Epoch Phono Cartridge has become available this August, 2017, and takes its place as Grado's supreme cartridge offering. With my hands-on experience using the Grado Statement 1 and Statement 2, the Statement 2 being one of my five current references, cartridge advances are speedily continuing, and most advances mean more expensive. The Statement 2... Read More »

I've used the same pair of speakers for 22 years. (And they still surprise me.) They're nameless and were made for me by Richard Marsh: a pair of Dynaudio cabinets with Dynaudio drivers and crossovers built by Richard. He said I should call them DS-something—so how about Marsh/Dynaudio DS-1? He'd made a pair for himself,... Read More »

At the recent LA Audio Show packed with manufacturers—many known to me, but also many surprises—I noticed a table loaded with sharp-looking cables and manned by a gentleman I knew: Mitch Ko. His previous company, INEX, built the most fascinating and unusual cables on the planet:  they were made of fiber optic cable and battery powered.... Read More »

   The Stein Music Powerbar 10 Signature (US version) With a track record of doing the amazing and, occasionally, the impossible, Stein Music of Germany introduces a power distribution system that works effectively and elegantly in the most sophisticated systems. Holger Stein, Chief Engineer and CEO, is both an electrical engineer and physicist and has... Read More »

Hot off the assembly line in Ogden, Utah, comes Ray Kimber's very latest thinking in USB cable design. With five other models listed, starting at $50, this tour-de-force design is a semi-affordable $900 for a meter. This is quite a deal compared to the multi-thousand dollar models I have heard, and generally out performs those... Read More »

It was about fifteen, sixteen odd years ago that I fell into the "vinyl" trap. Sure, growing up mom and pop had records, mostly of the classical Deutsche Gramophone variety; my ten years older brother had vastly greater selections diving into classic rock, some jazz and avant garde pop, but even he probably never made... Read More »

To go reel-to-reel tape or high resolution digital? That was the question facing this basically all analog person some ten years ago. No, there wasn't a lot of tape software available at the time but the same held true for high-rez digital too. Not to mention that digital playback technology was (still is?) changing from... Read More »

Ever since the first moving-coil phonograph cartridge was developed in 1948 by Holger Christian Arenstein (the Ortofon Mono-A), phono cartridge designers have been working at maximizing & refining the performance of moving-coil cartridges by trying various topologies & materials combinations for the stylus, cantilever, coil wire, suspension, magnets, pole pieces, internal wiring, cartridge housings, cartridge pins, and... Read More »

For many years my music has been enjoyed through small, two-way stand mounted speakers. Although ones listening room usually dictates the size of the speaker they purchase, my 12X20 foot den can accommodate speakers bigger than a stand mount monitor. And it has. My current speakers are floor standers and fit quite nicely in that... Read More »

One Monday night at Carnegie Hall, we found ourselves in the second row orchestra, way over on the right, in front of and looking up at the double basses (our eyes were level with the stage). When you purchase discount tickets, you take what they give you and don't complain. Obviously, the sound was problematic.... Read More »

The years 2015 and 2016 was a major transition for my family. A promotion for my wife resulted in the remodeling and eventual sale of our home on the East side of Washington state, which had been our home base for over 15 years. In my audio room, I had put together several excellent systems,... Read More »

Back in the olden days, I owned an Ortofon MC30 Cartridge. It had output to low for my ARC SP3 to handle so I went looking for a step up transformer. I acquired the cool looking and flexible Ortofon T30 that did quite well. At $400 it was expensive as gear in 1977 goes, but... Read More »

Released in 2015, Campfire Audio headed by Ken ball has emerged as a successful in-ear monitor (IEM) company across the audiophile community. Having released in excess of 5 earphones in the past 18 months, the company are a boutique brand aiming to deliver hi-fidelity sound quality in a durable form factor. Campfire Audio's Andromeda was... Read More »

Please be patient as I step you through some backstory. I reviewed the Synergistic Research PowerCell 10 UEF power conditioner back in October 2014. It made a tremendous impact on the overall sound of my system—all for the good! Other than a change in speakers, maybe more of an impact than any other single component at that point... Read More »

It is high time an American company—with manufacturing in Brooklyn, New York since 1953—should develop and build a state of the art challenger for the best open air headphones in the world. The PS1000e headphones were universally well regarded and became my reference for dynamic cans. These are still about as neutral as any pro music... Read More »

Synergistic Research (SR) is at it again. Like Michael Corleone in Godfather III, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!" I am always on the lookout for something better. These days, with the quality of product available at all price points, there is a myriad of impressive options out there... Read More »

I've had my fair chance at messing with all sorts of amplifier technologies, from Class A, to AB, D, even T—you name it, and each one carries their own sonic signature. To this day, I still have a soft spot for Class A/B designs, only due to their sonic signature and efficiency. Class A is... Read More »