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High Definition Tape Transfers continues to strike gold with its releases. Here are some excellent new classical and jazz transfers, plus one folk music transfer of the fingerpicking guitar persuasion. Much good music and good sound to share in this Recent Notes. Enjoy Ellington Jazz Party In Stereo, Duke Ellington and his Orchestra. HDTT 1959... Read More »

Freddie de Tommaso, Puccini Arias with London Philharmonic Orchestra/Edward Gardner. Decca 4870768 (digital EP, no booklet. La Bohème: Che gelida manina. Manon Lescaut: Donna non vidi mai; Guardate, pazzo io son. La fanciulla del West: Una parola sola...Or son sei mesi. Le villi: Torna ai felici dì. We don't ordinarily associate the EP format—the extended-play CD—with classical... Read More »

For some time I've wanted to share with you some of this outstanding music, performance excellence, and superb audio quality coming from Sono Luminus' ventures with Icelandic composers and performers. Why Iceland? I didn't have any clear understanding other than that Sono Luminus CEO Collin Rae has some connections there and they got started with... Read More »

By the mid-2000's, my growing appreciation of jazz music was also developing into a full-blown fascination with the artistry of jazz singer and pianist extraordinaire Patricia Barber. And when Taylor Perry of Shore Fire Media approached me mid-year 2021 to gauge my interest in covering Barber's soon-to-be-released album Clique!, I was quite nearly thunderstruck. I... Read More »

During well more than half a century of being a HiFi Crazy, I've learned a lot about not only our hobby and its toys and goodies, but also about my fellow audiophiles. (I and my friends have always referred to ourselves as "HiFi Crazies," so know that I use that other term lovingly). One of... Read More »

It's been a very passionate and rewarding journey for me when it comes to Patricia Barber and her music. As a long term resident of Chicago, I was able to see her and her band perform at the Green Mill many times over the last 30 years. Though she is now performing at several additional... Read More »

NativeDSD continues to earn highest recommendations from me as a preferred source for high resolution downloads. There are some labels they don't have access to, unfortunately, but their catalog continues to grow with new labels showing up every few weeks. This means their new releases outpace my ability to write about them. But, I'll keep... Read More »

Mark Schifter is constantly teasing me with new product offerings that are either currently under development or on the verge of reaching the marketplace. And more often than not, when I get a notification that something has actually shipped to me for evaluation, I have no idea which exact device is on the way. That... Read More »

Brad Lunde, at right, talks with a photographer based out of Los Angeles the ATC suite at this year's AXPONA (photo by Juan C. Ayllon) Brad Lunde is in Room 1534 at Audio Expo North America (AXPONA) held at the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel to expedite the introduction of ATC's brand new SCM20 ASL h, a... Read More »

Stack Audio has been around for over a decade, founded by Theo Stack in Devonshire England. His first products were a network streamer, and enhancements to the Linn LP12 turntable platform. I doff my helmet to anyone that can make meaningful contributions to improving the venerable Linn LP12. In typical Theo fashion, these are impeccable... Read More »

This article by Dave Clark originally ran in 2006, 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.  Want to add some flavor or seasoning to your system. Spice it up a bit!... Read More »

Last week I brought you eight wonderful-sounding rooms I encountered during the Sophomore Southwest Audio Fest, held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Today, I’ll recap my choices for the top five performances turned in over that three-day event.

These systems include the Lalique Room, by Krystal Clear Audio-Video, the Batik Room, sponsored by Next Level HiFi, the Edelweiss Room, sponsored by High End by Oz, the Wyeth room, featuring the Reference Line of MBL electronics by MBL North America, and the Carpenter Ballroom, sponsored by the Valve Amplification Company, and Acora Acoustics.

It’s hard to believe that this was just the second Southwest Audio Fest… The attitudes, the spirit, the overall upbeat and enthusiastic tenor of this sophomore event were so positive, so fun, and so engaging, that I’m even more convinced than I was after the premier show that with proper marketing and sensible management, the Southwest Audio Fest has the potential to become a premier event on the annual show circuit.

That said, in this episode you get an idea of eight amazing performances I heard during my time at the remarkable venue that hosts this up-and-coming event, in Dallas, the Hilton Anatole. Are you ready? Here we go…

This week finds us midway through the most hectic time of the year for me, spring show season. With Florida and Southwest behind us – and with plenty of coverage of the Southwest Audio Fest to follow here soon – but with AXPONA and High-End Munich still to come, I find myself almost overwhelmed by the sheer volume of my workload.

With the additional challenges of this season, combined with the enduring popularity and remarkably enthusiastic reception that my after-hours curated LP sessions continue to enjoy at shows, today I revisit a seemingly incongruent topic. Many audio hobbyists seem to believe that audiophiles are people who listen to gear, while music lovers aren’t as demanding and simply choose to revel in the music, regardless of the gear used, and that the two are somehow necessarily disparate objectives. Let’s dive in…

With previous episodes “216,” from March 2nd, and “218,” from last week, March 16th, I’ve shared some of my experiences with, and taken you on several room visits, at the 2025 Florida International Audio Fest. Today, we’ll dive into the highlights of my Top Five Rooms at the 2025 show. For clarity, all system pricing information is provided in today’s Description section.

First, we start with Room 451, sponsored by Ball Audio Distribution And System Solutions (or, BADASS for short!), and Margules Audio. Then on to Brandon 2, sponsored by Supreme Acoustic Systems, followed by a visit to Salon 1, sponsored by Next Level HiFi, then we move next door to Salon 3, sponsored by Clarisys Audio, and finally, a visit to the Palm Room, sponsored by the Valve Amplification Company, Acora Acoustics, and Scott Walker Audio. Ready, set, go!

In episode 216, from March 2nd, I shared my overall impressions of the sixth Florida International Audio Expo, from the new venue, the Sheraton Tampa Brandon Hotel, to how I perceived the event, and highlighted my impressions of the importance of a very affordable, and overachieving, monitor, developed and presented by nepo baby Lucca Chesky.

All things considered, it was both an ambitious and very enjoyable event, with some exceptionally well-done presentations from many exhibitors and manufacturers. Today, I’ll share some of the more impressive accomplishments there. As always, all equipment pricing detail is presented in today’s Description section.

Frank Doris:  a portrait. AXPONA 2025, Chicago, IL. (Photograph by David W. Robinson.) I have been extremely impressed with the reissues I've heard from Impex Records, including Patricia Barber's Nightclub and more recently, Companion, the absolutely astonishing 1STEP Getz/Gilberto 45 RPM 2-LP release, and their 2020 reissue of Sing and Dance With Frank Sinatra. Impex has reissued the... Read More »

With such a rich history of music in the western world, it is too easy to get lost in centuries past. We can too easily fail to see the amazing music being written today. With this article, I want to offer up some outstanding music of the 21st Century I've been privileged to hear these... Read More »

The impressive PS Audio room, boasting their latest, continues to be a crowd-pleasing fixture at AXPONA Despite current concerns regarding U.S. tariffs, this year's edition of AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) proved to be triumphant, bigger and better than its predecessors, boasting over 200 listening spaces on 12 floors representing over 700 global manufacturers, distributors,... Read More »