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Audio-Technica was founded in 1962 by Hideo Matsushita; the company's first offerings were the AT-1 and AT-3 phono cartridges. Over the years the company has branched into numerous facets of music reproduction, with products in both the home and commercial environment. For decades, Audio-Technica microphones have been chosen for their overall quality and performance, as... Read More »

I'm no longer responsible. I've relinquished control—the system has taken over. I'm only along for the joyride, afforded aural thrills on a regular basis that are beyond what I could have imagined only yesterday, as the system spirals ever upward in its willful pursuit. Ah, yes, there's no doubt about it. We're in a Golden... Read More »

Did you know that the sweet jasmine plant is represented by 200 species native to tropical temperate regions of Eurasia, Australasia, and Oceania? Or that jasmine is widely cultivated for the characteristic fragrance of its flowers? I assume you know the latter if not the former. Originating in China, where fragrance, tradition, beauty, and orderliness are... Read More »

Transfiguration's new top-of-the-line Proteus cartridge is unquestionably one of today's finest moving coil transducers. The Proteus truly excels when mounted in VPI's 3D tonearm at revealing musical nuances, unraveling textures and capturing the sense of recording space. At the same time, the Proteus is never amusical or exaggerated sounding and displays excellent linearity from the... Read More »

Mama said not to believe rumors and hearsay. And in college we learned the meaning of illicit generalizations. So it was in regards to the sound and performance of Fritz Loudspeakers. A few years back I heard so much about these speakers from word of mouth, reviews, and good old internet buzz, before I even... Read More »

I think we can all agree that, generally speaking, the thought of experiencing a new power supply or conditioning product is not quite as exciting as fresh new speakers and amplifiers. I mean, who really wants to spend all that money on electrical cords and outlets? Still, I have experienced several power cords and power... Read More »

The four composers represented in this overview and the accompanying album, all wrote music in a variety of styles and for many different types of ensembles. This broad spectrum of styles is a consequence of the four composers choosing to work within and to develop traditional formats and techniques, while at the same time mastering... Read More »

Jennifer Koh, Bach and Beyond 2. Solo Violin Sonatas by Bach, Bartok, and Saariaho. Jennifer Koh, violin. Çedille 90000-154. Nobody plays Bach better than Jennifer Koh. As I've written before, I heard her play the Partita No. 2 live in Amherst College's Buckley Recital Hall several years ago and at the time it felt as... Read More »

Here is a band that changed the way I view Neanderthals. Most people might see a caveman, or a Neanderthal, and instinctively see the old Geico commercials run through their mind. This is clearly not the case with Fartbarf. They are wild, energetic, comedic, brazen, outlandish, and enthralling to see live. Josh McLeod, Dan Burley,... Read More »

Dmitri Shostakovich, arranged Rudolph Barshai. Chamber Symphonies. The Dmitri Ensemble, Graham Ross. Harmonia Mundi HMU 907634. These are three of Shostakovich's string quartets arranged for chamber orchestra by a student, friend, and close associate of the composer. Only one of them, the arrangement of Quartet No. 8, has gotten much attention before now. I have... Read More »

SCHUBERT: Allegro moderato and Andante, D. 968; 4 Ländler, D. 814; German Dance with 2 Trios and 2 Ländler, D. 618; Introduction and Variations on an Original Theme in B-flat, D. 968A; Eight Variations on a French Song in E minor, D. 624; Fantasia in F minor, D. 940 Marco Schiavo and Sergio Marchegiani, pianos.... Read More »

Nigel Armstrong, Nigel Armstrong: Bach, Bartók, Korngold. Featuring Sir Neville Mariner and the Colburn Orchestra. Native DSD Catalog number YAR65007DSD This Yarlung Records recording is simply entitled Nigel Armstrong. Armstrong is a young and dynamic artist, exactly fitting the rising stars captured by the Yarlung label. With a varied repertoire of Bartok, Bach, and Korngold,... Read More »

Over the past several years, one of the big topics in field of high end or perfectionist audio has been how to get new people, and especially younger people, to participate. That means not just getting a new generation to both appreciate better sound and gear, but more importantly, getting them to actually buy better... Read More »

Belafonte at Carnegie Hall: The Complete Concert Photo: Courtesy of Acoustic Sounds Sometimes, the best things are worth waiting for. That's certainly the case with this week's long-awaited release of the Living Stereo album Belafonte at Carnegie Hall: The Complete Concert in 3 Channel SACD Stereo on the Analogue Productions label. I'm sure that most... Read More »

When I first found out last fall that I was getting the new Beatles Mono LP box for review, I contemplated going full-on mono to bring as much authenticity as possible to the process. That would require some serious shuffling of my current system to enable mono listening and a number of equipment acquisitions to... Read More »

Dean Martin, Dream with Dean: The Intimate Dean Martin Analogue Productions, QRP 200 gram LP, stereo, 45 RPM (2 LP set), USD $50 You know, it really isn't fair. There I was. Just getting over my blood-pressure-wrecking pleasure over the brilliant Analogue Productions release of Duke Ellington's Masterpieces by Ellington (as reviewed HERE). Just getting... Read More »

When talking about the controversial topic of audio cables, there are three specific areas that keep getting discussed: Do cables actually sound different? If they do sound different, are any actually better, or are they just different? Is whatever difference they may or may not create worth the price? My answer to Point 1 was... Read More »

The principals behind JCAT, Marcin Ostapowicz and Josef Piri are perhaps better known as the creative minds behind JPLAY, a Windows based music playback software program that I heartily recommend. JCAT is the hardware side of their venture which also includes some rather nifty computer audio components. Last year I reviewed JCAT's USB and LAN... Read More »

How many rabbits can a magician pull out of the same hat? In the case of Bobby Palkovich, the wizard of Hemlock, it does seem like there is no limit. Just like Merlin, the wizard of old, who was said to have powerful magic, and for whom this speaker company is named. Bobby continues to... Read More »