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Audio Note is a company founded in 1976 (company site says October 1979) in Japan by Hiroyasu Kondo. The first products hit the world markets in 1989. In 1997, the company split into two parts, Kondo Labs, focused on the Asian market, and Audio Note UK, responsible for Europe and the rest of the world.... Read More »

This has been one of the hardest reviews I have ever done because the Michi X3 integrated amplifier really surprised me. Out of the box and into my system it performed so well that I was at a loss for words. Not so much as in spectacular audiophile terms, but because it just went straight... Read More »

Last year I spent quality time with the Armónico cable from Fono Acustica. The wires left a lingering impression of intense musicality, along with a desire to audition more of their products, including the top-of-the-line Virtuoso model. Felix Avalos, the proprietor of Fono Acustica, teased me along with, "The Virtuoso is a whole different cable... Read More »

Whenever I write about cables I always feel the need to include a disclaimer as they're such a hot button topic. Especially when it comes to high dollar interconnects such as the Audience frontRow cables reviewed below. What I can tell you from personal experience is that cables matter. There is a clear difference in... Read More »

This article by Bob Neill originally ran in Issue 3, October/November 2002, so while we call this section "New Old Stock - Articles from Our Days in Print" you are also going to see some articles from our early days of going online. How George Cardas's Neutral Reference speaker cable strikes you and whether or... Read More »

Boyd Meets Girl is comprised of Australian classical guitarist Rupert Boyd and American cellist Laura Metcalf, a couple living in Brooklyn, NYC. This album comes out of the period of Covid-19 pandemic lockdown; and this is where being a married couple pays huge dividends for us as listeners. Able to play together every day, Boyd... Read More »

The Editors is a series of interviews with audio magazine editors from all over the world—both printed and online magazines, and portals. It started on January 1st, 2012, and 33 interviews have been published so far—the one below is No. 34. Our aim is to make our readers more familiar with the people who usually... Read More »

Octave Audio is a German company founded in 1968 by Karl Heinz Hofmann; initially it produced transformers. In 2000, his son, Andreas Hofmann took over the business, and from then on it has been called Octave Audio. We are testing the top Jubilee system. Although the first Octave amplifiers were made in 1975, and since... Read More »

Bisher hatte ich persönlich die feine High-End-Schmiede Paltauf aus Österreich noch nicht auf meinem HiFi-Radar gehabt. Umso begeisterter war ich beim Test von der röhrenbestückten Phonostufe Paltauf Phono-200 mit externem Netzteil. Denn hier sind ohne Frage musikalische Überzeugungstäter am Werk, die ihr Handwerk verstehen!

The state-of-the-art Børresen Acoustics 05 speakers and their cables have become perfectly acclimatized in my listening room since my review of their initial installation. (HERE). The system plays even more beguilingly than when I wrote the review. But more interesting than any kind of effusiveness may be the reasons for so much euphony, and Michael... Read More »

AXPONA 2022 was a welcoming next step as we move forward as a high end audio community. Attendance was good, and it will only get better as things settle down and we all get more comfortable. It was wonderful to see old friends and to establish new friendships. After all, this isn't just about evaluating... Read More »

Three weeks ago, I had the pleasure of introducing you to the two new KRONOS Resonance Suppression tonearms, the Kronoscope RS and the Discovery RS. In that episode's interview with Louis Desjardins, recorded in his factory in Montreal, he indicated that he would be sending me one of the new Discovery RS arms to install... Read More »