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First Impressions   As I reported in Part 1 of this installment, I first encountered the Maggie 1.7 loudspeakers (recently upgraded to its current 1.7i iteration) during a brief audition at Audible Elegance, a respected Cincinnati area retailer, about two and a half years ago. What I heard during that brief listening session left me... Read More »

You have not accidentally stumbled into the archives of PF. The subject of today's review is indeed a $9000 CD transport and the year is 2016 not 1996. Why would anyone buy such a thing now that CD is on the wane? Audiomat resides on a very short list of audio marquees that offer to... Read More »

I value ground trembling sensation of well-executed extreme low frequency as much as any audio nut. For the majority of my listening, though, extreme low frequency is not essential to musical satisfaction. However, lately I have developed a latent appreciation for electronic dance/ambient influenced music. Needless to say, my KEF LS50 speakers, overachievers that they... Read More »

Introduction Wall Audio is a brand that is not well known to many people, even in the audiophile world, but Andreas Wall has been designing and building high end products for more than 30 years. However, he has a very good reputation for his products in the German speaking world and has garnered numerous very... Read More »

You know how you can tell in 10 seconds if a component has it? Alas, it doesn't happen all that often—the good ones are few and far between. Just like the players in this industry—those who know real sound are few and far between. Most think it is synonymous with the Audiophile Report Card, the... Read More »

In this particular case one word explains it all... Wadia (www.wadia.com). This iconic American brand for years has been synonymous with high-end digital source, as it specialized in Compact Disc players, both integrated and separates. Later they were joined by SACD players, for example, Model 581. Wadia Players used the best available transports, i.e. VRDS and... Read More »

As reported in the News Section of HiFi Statement, I didn't have much chance to listen to some music when developer Rob Watts visited me with the Chord DAVE. But fortunately, I didn't have to wait too long for a second chance, as I could pick up the first DAVE available in Germany in the... Read More »

One day while browsing at the local Fry's Electronics superstore I noticed the mindboggling variety facing headphone customers. An entire aisle display was stocked full of headphones of every size, shape, and color. How does a brand set itself apart for consumer dollars in such a populous market? Puro Sound Labs' answer is health and... 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 »

Checking my email inbox I was happily surprised to find an email from the owner of Vermouth Audio. Based out of Bali Hendry Ramli has created a line of loudspeaker cable, power cables, and speakers. Being impressed with his top model Black Pearl speaker cable I said yes to his Rhapsody speaker cables.  The Rhapsody loudspeaker... Read More »

Recently, there has been an emergence of innovation and unprecedented technologies which have overhauled the headphone and IEM industry from a stagnant industry to one which is exciting and rapidly ever-changing. Redefining standards within the audio industry is a hard feat to accomplish and so when a company finally does so, it signifies progression; a... Read More »

On a recent visit to Bleeker Records in NYC, I asked the Owner how LP sales were doing. "Fine, but it is CDs that are really hot". I did my best Labrador Retriever head tilt and quipped "Really?" That was the best I could come up with in the moment, as I was a really... Read More »

An importer/distributor I know has taken to calling me "the stalwart reviewer." At first we both laughed, although I wasn't sure what he meant. On reflection, I decided I should be flattered. One of the benefits of longevity is you get the long view, the evolutionary perspective, which can be especially satisfying when a brand's... Read More »

It happened only once before that High Fidelity tested the same product twice. It was the Nagra's PL-P preamplifier, that was firstly reviewed in our issue No. 19 (November  2005), and later in issue No 50 (November 2008). If memory serves it has never happened again within the whole 12 years history of High Fidelity. The... Read More »

"That is a…a…a power cord?" It's a guilty pleasure witnessing visitors' disbelief when I show them a Stage III Concepts cable. Even seasoned audiophiles are predictably wide-eyed. The uncommon (unnatural?) girth and nonpareil build quality of the cables make other brands appear malnourished. And then there's the top-of-the-line Leviathan Power Cord, the "Sea Monster," surely... Read More »

The impact of computers as a source for high quality musical enjoyment cannot be underestimated. Computers allow listeners to store and stream massive amounts of musical data from the convenience of a laptop or other device in a manner that no other platform could before. Getting the most musical sound out of all those files... Read More »

"I can cable an entire audiophile system for $1000" This was back in May of last year, and I was on the phone with Steven Huang of Audio Sensibility Cables, based in Toronto, Canada. I'm an old-school audio cheapskate, and had just remarked on how well one of Steve's very affordable phono cables had performed... Read More »

Apparently, I left a few readers in the lurch by closing my LampizatOr Euforia review saying I'd discovered a difference making change and that I'd follow-up the review, but was too lazy to rewrite it before posting. I've been overwhelmed at work, have 90 year old parents who suddenly need attention, a busy eleven year... Read More »

My girlfriend had surprised me with the Audioengine P4 as a birthday present. I've had them for a couple of years now, and I have to say, it's one of the best gifts I've ever received. A little about myself, I have a huge appreciation for all sorts of genres when it comes to music.... Read More »