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You will likely have noticed a large number of recordings in my articles from Hunnia Records. The owner of the label, Robert Zoltán Hunka, loves all kinds of music and is fanatically committed to making recordings with the highest sound quality he is able to achieve. Their albums keep showing up for three good reasons:... Read More »

Mark Schifter and the geniuses at Vera-Fi Audio have done it again, and their new group of AC power optimization products may be the company's most important product launch to date. A little over a week ago, and following a series of somewhat cryptic direct messages, Mark confirmed he was sending a trio of new... Read More »

In my recent review of the Advance Paris A12 Classic integrated amplifier, I was smitten with its great looks and retro-cool vibe, but it also proved to be a superb all-around performer. And its impressive range of features ought to make it a top choice for anyone looking to build a system around a high-end... Read More »

John Marks of The Tannhauser Gate (thetannhausergate.com) and Positive Feedback This is a continuation of a very long essay. But I think the subject matter deserves thorough coverage. In Part 1 (HERE), I examined the hard-wired neurological, and the (apparently, universal) cultural reasons why everyone responds strongly to women's singing voices (and responds equally strongly to toddler... Read More »

What manner of arcane sorcery does David Salz of Wireworld Cable Technology practice behind closed doors in the depths of his cryptic labyrinth? Are mystic spells being chanted, obscure rituals observed, and talismans of power wielded in the creation of magical and wonderful wires? Or perhaps I've simply spent too many hours this weekend binge-watching... Read More »

HDTT has been on a tear generating great reissues this past year, and that tear continues unabated. Here are several releases that have gotten my attention over recent weeks largely because of their historical significance. The belong in any well stocked music library. Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 1, Byron Janis, Kiril Kondrashin, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra.... Read More »

Bob Levi (right) with Michael Fremer (photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson) Brand new to the lineup of Grado Labs Signature Headphones is the extraordinary Signature S950 all wood headphones. Frankly, I did not see these coming! The aluminum used in the excellent HP100 SE Headphones is gone and hand-crafted Brazilian walnut shell... Read More »

Growing up in late-sixties north Georgia, music first really grabbed my attention around my tenth birthday. My family had an old tube Philco console stereo, and after school every day, I'd run home to spin a few records or listen to the radio. I had no concept of buying my own albums yet, and the... Read More »

For me, a Pure DSD256 recording done well is the height of audio reproduction excellence. Yes, 15ips and 30ips analog tape sound marvelous, but so does Pure DSD256. Play either in its pure state, as in direct from the tape or direct from an excellent D/A converter, without intervening mucking about, and you can hear... Read More »

I spend a fair amount of time on social media, especially Instagram; it's a great space to post meaningless snippets of existential nonsense, and is less overtly cluttered by the intense political rants that have bogged down Facebook. Not that I'm apolitical—you don't want to get me started about the current state of affairs here... Read More »

It is celebration time, folks. Jared Sacks has launched a new label, Pelle D'oca ("Goosebumps" in Italian), with a stunning new recording of Beethoven's Violin Concerto. And the cherry on the top is that this release is in PURE DSD256! Recorded and mixed entirely in the DSD* domain, with no PCM, with no trip out... Read More »

What has intrigued me about this record for decades is its cover photo. I can't remember when I first saw it, but it was long ago. I think I saw it on an inner sleeve, or maybe it was in one of those colorful catalogs that record companies used to stuff inside of their LPs.... Read More »

Your hearing works in the dark. It even works when you are asleep! Humans were designed (or evolved) so that certain hard-wired aspects of our ear-brain systems serve as important defense and survival mechanisms. When an Ice-Age Cave Mommy heard a twig snap in the forest, she did not consciously have to focus on, think... Read More »

Okay, I admit it. I love a good organ recording. In my vinyl days, I had shelves upon shelves of excellent organ recordings on LP. Today, my digital library is somewhat bereft. There are lots of organ albums on CD, but piffle. I want full resolution. If I can't have vinyl, then I want high... Read More »

Preparing for this review I asked Ralph Karsten, principal at Atma-Sphere, if he planned to make a Class D preamplifier. He responded "There's not much point in a Class D preamp since you don't get the same advantages that you do in a power amp." The obvious question becomes: what are the advantages of a... Read More »

Image backdrop by Aubrey "Po" Powell, courtesy of Reddit.com In the 1970s, engineer and entrepreneur Billy Woodman ran a tidy business designing loudspeaker drivers and building them in his factory in England, supplying drivers OEM to audio manufacturers like Proac in the consumer market and clients like Yamaha in the pro audio realm. So says... Read More »

Early on, Scottish folk singer Donovan Leitch was often considered at best to be little more than a Bob Dylan imitator. But when their paths crossed during Dylan's 1965 tour of England, the meeting was famously captured by filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker in his documentary Don't Look Back. A much-discussed scene occurs where Dylan and Donovan... Read More »

Sometimes an album arrives on my shores that simply requires immediate comment because it is so deliciously good. This is one of those. The Blue Hour Sessions, Rembrandt Frerichs, Rembrandt Trio. Just Listen Records 2025 (Pure DSD256, Stereo) Edit Master Sourced HERE  I have been a fan of pianist Rembrandt Frerichs for several years now,... Read More »

Craft Recordings has rolled out another great selection of new release and reissue LPs, including three more Original Jazz Classics (OJC) reboot titles, another ultra-rare reissue from the King of Corrido song, Chalino Sanchez, and the original soundtrack recording for the Academy Award-winning motion picture, The English Patient. The trio of OJCs are long out-of-print,... Read More »