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In which Roger Skoff tells why he didn't buy a Ferrari… In 1969, when a brand-new Ferrari sports car cost, depending on which model it was and how it was equipped, less than US$20,000, I almost bought a used one. It was an absolutely gorgeous 1967 bright yellow, aluminum bodied 275 GTB/4, offered by Otto... Read More »

There were so many product introductions at this past High End show in Munich that it was simply impossible to keep track of them all. But one of the more interesting premiers, and perhaps less publicized but no less important, took place in Hall 4.1, Room E109, Sponsored by Wod Audio, Today we’ll hear from... 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 »

Wow! It's been more than 15 years since I've been attending the Munich High-End Show and this year will be the last year it is to be held in Munich. But for now, that time of the year again! The 2025 Munich High-End Show has finally arrived. Farewell with a record turn-out of visitors from... Read More »

Today I begin sharing my experiences during High End Munich 2025, beginning with a discussion with the CEO and Lead Engineer of Berlin’s world-class Audionet electronics.

Kalista’s flagship $65,000 DreamPlay X Optical Disc player/Streamer/DAC/Preamp and the similarly fashioned $64,000 Mantax DAC, represent both a no-holds-barred and an unparalleled level of versatility to the regeneration of digital music.

In this episode, I share the experience of my February trip to Orlando, Florida, to assist my friend and colleague, Maurice Jeffries, with the installation of the Kronos Sparta turntable into his reference system. Have a look…

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 »

Harbeth Audio Ltd. is a British company founded in 1977 by former BBC research chief Dudley Harwood. Its name is derived from 'HARwood' and his wife's first name 'elizaBETH'. In the early 1970s, when Dudley was employed by the BBC, he designed a near-field monitor that could be used in mobile broadcast studios. In 1986,... Read More »

Last week’s tour of the Valve Amplification Company, as presented by VAC’s Maestro Kevin Hayes, set the stage for today’s conversation with Kevin about the new VAC flagship amplifier, the Statement 455 iQ Musicbloc™.

After that conversation, I also share my experiences with the evolution of the entire VAC Statement series of amps, the 450iQ, the 452iQ, and this new masterpiece, the 455iQ. If that may be of interest to you, take a look at it here…

Today, I’m pleased to present something that I’ve been wanting to accomplish and have talked about doing for more than a decade…a visit and factory tour of one of America’s most iconic, highly regarded, and premier electronics manufacturers, the Valve Amplification Company, or VAC for short, in Sarasota, Florida.

Kevin Hayes and his father, Channing, founded the company in Sarasota, Florida, nearly thirty-five years ago in 1990. Kevin appeared on the channel previously, in Episode 54 in early August of 2021. With that episode, he took the time to share the remarkable VAC story. It is a truly amazing conversation, and I have linked it in today’s description for those who may have missed it originally

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 »

The great Trini Lopez (1937-2020) was a superb guitarist and singer. He was also an actor, both on film and on TV. The talented musician, who also hung with the Rat Pack, was born and raised in the Little Mexico neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. He started playing rock 'n' roll at age fifteen, and the... Read More »

Those who've read past articles know my admiration for the recordings of independent Dutch recording and mastering engineer Bert van der Wolf (now and hereafter, in honor of his recent marriage, Bert van der Wolf-Oude Avenhuis), Northstar Recording Services. Bert's recordings are a touchstone of excellence. He captures acoustic music in a most engagingly natural... Read More »