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Initially designed for the record producer and those in the mastering specialty, the MM520 has been upgraded flawlessly to truly include the audiophile. Smaller and more compact than its big brother, the 5S, it is also more efficient and incredibly linear. Having spent quite a few hours with the MM520, I am yet to identify a significant flaw in any sonic parameter.... Read More »

A New Solution to Understanding What Your Digital Audio System Is Doing With the Data Stream - Part 3 A few weeks ago we reposted Ferenc Koscsó's article introducing a minimalist, bit-perfect music player, written in C, with a single purpose: to deliver the music file data stream to the DAC by the shortest, most... Read More »

At the 2023 Munich Highend show, the True Life Audio and the Lorenzo Audio Labs teamed up together to produce a fabulous sounding room. I later reviewed the Lorenzo Audio Labs LM1 loudspeakers and liked them so much that they became to be my new reference loudspeakers. Fast forward two years, I was presented with... Read More »

Bert van der Wolf's lifelong dream of creating a dedicated recording venue with superb natural acoustics and attached mastering studio finally became a reality with the purchase and restoration of a nineteenth-century church in Heerewaarden. Following extensive acoustic renovations, the first recordings took place in late 2025. I've followed this remarkable project since Bert first... Read More »

The following is a repost of an article by the exceptionally talented recording and mastering engineer Frans de Rond, originally published on the blog of his Sound Liaison recording label. You can find the original article HERE. Frans recently included this article in his newsletter. As I read it, I found myself nodding, smiling, and... Read More »

My first Chris Isaak concert was with my wife and several friends at the North Shore Center in Skokie Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It was a December 2011 concert and Isaak played a few Christmas songs along with many of his fan favorites.  He came out in a Santa Claus outfit and quickly had... Read More »

I first met Jeff Wells over 15 years ago when he was the national sales manager for Spectron. He in turn introduced me to Class D amplification via the superb Musician III Mk. 2 amplifiers that Spectron produced at the time. Over the years I’ve come to appreciate Jeff’s no-nonsense approach to high end audio;... Read More »

For those readers new to this column, please read the introductory comments in Part one here. There’s an old stereotype out there that audiophiles don’t really like music, but rather just like playing with equipment. There’s even a “quote” that constantly surfaces, wrongly attributed to Alan Parsons (who never actually said it) that ‘Audiophiles don’t... Read More »

I’d already chosen my next review subject: a rock band from Chicago who thrived from the mid-sixties to the early seventies, but I got distracted by two new additions to my collection. So what could possibly distract me from great rock ‘n’ roll? Here’s the answer: Two Eddy Arnold (1918-2008) EPs from the early fifties!... Read More »

We all say, "There is no substitute for live music." This past spring, Ann and I treated ourselves to a generous helping of live orchestral music from one of our regional orchestras a few hours away. And yet, and yet... While the sound of live instruments cannot be fully replicated by even the finest audio... Read More »

"The tonality is really good, better than most MCs at any price,” Alexey Kornienkov wrote on Facebook. “A joy with voices and acoustic instruments. Good tonality sometimes comes at the expense of resolution, but not in this case."  Also known as Alex Korf, he had presented alongside the acclaimed audio journalist, Michael Fremer, in an... Read More »

  During my visit to AXPONA 2026, there were several outstanding new products that made my show highlight list. One of the most impressive was the new Synergistic Research Quark streaming server. Ted Denney’s demonstration at the show was quite intriguing and highly entertaining as always. Ted is Founder, Proprietor and Chief Designer at Synergistic... Read More »

(AURA is now a Japanese company, founded in 1989 in the UK. Its first and best-known product was the VA-40 integrated amplifier. In 1996, the brand was acquired by the Japanese company Yukimu, which in 2023 released a new version of the classic amp, the VA-40 Rebirth integrated amplifier. The reviewed LCC 1 preamplifier and LCP 1... Read More »

Seriously, what has our audiophile’s world come to? Back in “normal” times, getting better sound was straightforward: spend some money, and expect a commensurate audible return on investment. Plump for a big ticket latest and greatest, or pay the mortgage and upgrade economically. Tweaks, tubes, footers, that sort of thing, under $100, maybe $200. A... Read More »

Recently, while driving and tolerating my Las Vegas’ moldy oldies FM station KQLL, I heard an old favorite that I don’t hear too often. It was Rare Earth’s “Get Ready,” a song that I swear was custom-made for me. The deliciously grungy tone of the electric guitar is dangerously addicting, and what follows the guitar... Read More »

For those readers new to this column, please read the introductory comments in Part one here. I’ve known a lot of audiophiles and music lovers who are firmly into either analog or digital, and don’t fully embrace both. Obviously with this series, I’m putting myself in the “I love records” camp. That doesn’t mean I... Read More »

Once in a Tahitian blue moon, an A/C power cord is unleashed that’s so insanely over-engineered that it (almost) defies description. After looking at said cable for a few seconds, its muscular aesthetics trigger an audio-nutter response that forces audiophiles to drool, shiver excitedly, and then swear the sky… er… blue. Words like ‘bonkers’, ‘bespoke’,... Read More »

  It’s been quite some time since I have reviewed a Synergistic Research product. Over the last few years, I have experimented with several extraordinary new flagship offerings from some of the most respected industry leaders in several different categories. This includes cables, power cords, power conditioning, ground conditioning, and isolation platforms. Each brand and... Read More »

"Jimi was like aliens had landed. No kidding," said Toto guitarist, Steve Lukather, who recorded with a who's who of artists like  Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, and Eddie Van Halen. "I remember sitting in my bedroom listening to his Are You Experienced? album's 'Third Stone From The Sun.' My father walks in and sees the... Read More »