Chrysalis Records continues their celebration of the legacy of legendary guitarist Robin Trower with the latest installment in the series, For Earth Below, 50th Anniversary Edition. Originally released in 1975, For Earth Below was his third studio album, and followed on the heels of his commercial and critical breakthrough Bridge of Sighs by only ten... Read More »
A new album from Rachel Podger and Brecon Baroque, recorded by Jared Sacks, is always reason to celebrate! Add to that some delightful discoveries from Alpha Classics, Yarlung Records (in Pure DSD256), two albums from IBS, and an intriguing peak at what may come from the "new" Channel Classics under Outhere Music's direction, and we... Read More »
Ye Olde Editor: a Fantasy. (Photograph by John Robinson; image processing by yours truly.) AXPONA time again... Another year, another AXPONA. The biggest high-end audio show in the USA had its latest iteration on April 11-13 at the Renaissance Schamburg Hotel in Schamburg, IL. According to the AXPONA management team, "10,000+ attendees and 700+ brands... Read More »
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 »
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 »
T.H.E. Lone Star Audiofest 2025 ran the first weekend of May in Round Rock just outside Austin Texas. This eighteenth Lone Star Audiofest marked an important transition for the long running show changing from a volunteer run event to professional management. After the 2024 LSAF talks between LSAF founder Wayne Parham, T.H.E. Enterprises' Emiko E.... 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 »
Designed for critical listening and editing, the open-back DT 990 PRO X brings new flexibility, comfort, and clarity to one of the most iconic headphones in professional audio. HEILBRONN, GERMANY – JUNE 5, 2025 – beyerdynamic, the preferred audio brand for musicians and studio professionals worldwide, today introduces the DT 990 PRO X: the next... 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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
NATURAL. TRANSPARENT. HOLOGRAPHIC. San Diego, CA / May 30, 2025 The Evolution Acoustics SYSTEM THREE statement loudspeaker and MODEL ONE reference monitor continue to make waves in the high-end audio industry, providing extreme performance with unparalleled value. These breakthrough products from Kevin Malmgren are designed to compete with any statement or bookshelf speaker at any... Read More »
(May 30, 2025 – Los Angeles, CA) Rhino High Fidelity (Rhino Hi-Fi) continues its acclaimed series of limited-edition, high-end vinyl reissues with the solo debut from Stevie Nicks and the first album from Wilco. Stevie Nicks’ Bella Donna (1981) and Wilco’s A.M. (1995) are available now exclusively at Rhino.com and internationally at select WMG stores.... 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 »
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 »
Thursday 15th May 2025. Introducing the Warwick Acoustics APERIO – GoldenSound Signature Edition Warwickshire, UK: Warwick Acoustics, developer of revolutionary Electrostatic Audio Systems for the High-End consumer and automotive markets announces the official launch of the Warwick Acoustics APERIO GoldenSound Signature Edition (GSE) headphone system at High End Munich, 2025. Warwick Acoustics has been working... 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 »
With its largest exhibit space ever and dedicated cabins for 2-channel and home theater demonstrations showcasing flagship products, SVS is asserting itself as a global force at the world’s largest consumer audio show. HIGH END Munch 2025 – Munich, Germany – MOC, Hall 3, Booth P02/R01 - SVS, leading manufacturer of high-performance speakers, subwoofers, and... Read More »
Furutech Co. Ltd. • Tokyo, Japan, manufacturer of ultra-refined analog, digital, video cable and accessories, introduces several new products The e-TP609E NCF-N1, a reference-grade AC power distributor engineered to meet the demands of high-end audiophiles and videophiles. Now upgraded from its previous generation, the NCF-N1 model features a sleek new black finish with a special... Read More »
Ideon Audio, a global leader in high-end digital audio, proudly announces the launch of its latest innovation, the Absolute Stream META, handcrafted to redefine streaming performance regardless of your favorite streaming service of choice. Engineered and perfected for audiophiles, music lovers and home theater enthusiasts alike. The Absolute Stream META server enhances any system by... Read More »
Buffalo, NY – May 13, 2025 – Bluebird Music is pleased to announce immediate availability of the new Alpha 1 and Alpha 2 loudspeakers from Germany’s largest speaker manufacturer, Canton. Canton is setting new standards in the high-end audio segment with the launch of the Reference Alpha series. The series comprises two large high-end floorstanding... Read More »
Amphion Loudspeakers is proud to announce the launch of three new products – Argon3X, Argon3LX, and Argon7LX. They are the latest advancement of the critically acclaimed Argon models (Argon3S, Argon3LS, & Argon7LS). This upgrade features a newly engineered tweeter, and an enhanced crossover board, further refining the performance and longevity of the Argon-series. With improvements... Read More »
May 14, 2025 - Focal, the prestigious French audio brand recognized worldwide for its acoustic excellence, is proud to unveil three new lacquered finishes for Diva Utopia: Black High Gloss, Dune High Gloss and Off White High Gloss. These refined, radiant finishes join the original Grey Felt finish of this cutting-edge hi-fi, active and connected... Read More »
Munich, Germany 2025: Nordost is excited to exhibit at the final High End show, May 15-18,and will say ‘goodbye’ to Munich with a system that highlights new products and showcases the benefits their brand brings to any sound system. Nordost’s main showroom, located in Atrium4 (Halle 4), room E112, will host a loom of cables... Read More »
Octave Records captures a powerful performance of Clay Rose with stark impact, in a remarkably realistic high-definition recording May 14, 2025 – Few albums convey the raw emotional intensity of an artist like Octave Records’ latest release, Clay Rose Live at Dharma Barn. It’s a stark, unvarnished presentation of a man and his guitar and... Read More »
Join EMM Labs on Saturday May 31st 11a to 4p at Bending Wave USA’s new Boca Raton luxury retail location for a “Premier Luxe Dealer Event.” A special day of high-fidelity audio, fine timepieces, hors d’oeuvres and distinctive spirits celebrating the finer moments of life. Special guests include Amadeus Meitner (EMM Labs), Elliot Goldman (Bending... 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 »
Astell&Kern, a global leader in high-resolution audio products and accessories, announces the newest digital audio player (DAP) in its flagship line, the A&ultima SP4000. The SP4000 will make its global debut at High End Munich 2025, 15 – 18 May 2025 at the MOC Event Center in Munich, Germany at the Astell&Kern booth, Hall 1,... Read More »
Dan Clark Audio is proud to announce the all new Noire XO, the new standard for open back Headphone performance Introducing the all new Dan Clark Audio Noire XO open back headphone.The DCA NOIRE XO is a ground-breaking headphone, the latest of our products to showcase the technical prowess of our acclaimed AMTS technology. To... Read More »
Woodinville, WA – Genesis Advanced Technologies is pleased to announce that it will not raise prices in 2025 despite widespread tariffs on many of the components used in manufacturing and cost increases. Holding on to the Recommended Retail Price for 2024 will be a boon for our dealers and customers as other companies have started... 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 »
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 »
