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 »
Gryphon Mono-Brand Store Bows at PDC West Hollywood Los Angeles, CA, 28 April 28, 2025: Gryphon Audio Designs ApS, designer and manufacturer of Ultra-Luxe Audio Systems, proudly announces Gryphon Audio Los Angeles, America’s first Gryphon Mono-Brand Showroom. Located in the prestigious Pacific Design Center, Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood. Gryphon Audio LA showcases the world’s finest... Read More »
Three-day event offers consumers an exclusive opportunity to see and hear the latest in home theater and high-performance audio from the world’s leading brands. RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA—May 8, 2025: Audio Advice Live announces its return to the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, August 1–3, 2025. Now in its fourth year, the nation’s largest home... 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 »
(Audiovector, Copenhagen, 30th of April 2025) – Audiovector is proud to announce the release of its flagship loudspeaker, the R 10 Arreté. Integrating the very latest Audiovector technologies, the R 10 immerses listeners in an audio experience that stands apart from any other loudspeaker. Launched at HIGH END Munich 2025, the R 10 will soon... Read More »
PRESS RELEASE: May 1, 2025 (Maple Grove, Minnesota) Audio Research's latest announcement marks a significant milestone in its illustrious 55-year history, showcasing an impressive commitment to innovation and quality. The introduction of six new products—the largest in the company's history—represents not only a testament to the engineering prowess brought in by owner Valerio Cora and... 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 »
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 »
XACT Audio, a brand known for uncompromising digital audio engineering, is proud to announce the release of the XACT N1, a groundbreaking audiophile network switch developed entirely from scratch to meet the demands of the most discerning listeners. While many so-called "audiophile" switches are rebranded IT-grade devices with minor modifications, the XACT N1 sets a new standard... Read More »
CUT FROM THE ANALOG TAPES AND PRESSED ON 180-GRAM BLACK VINYL AVAILABLE AT RHINO.COM AND SELECT RETAILERS ON JUNE 27 (April 29, 2025 - Los Angeles, CA) In celebration of Black Music Month, Rhino Reserve continues with the next installment of the acclaimed premium vinyl series with Baby Huey’s The Baby Huey Story: The Living... Read More »
Two new stereo music streaming playlists with over 4-hours of music that features songs mixed on Focal monitors Montreal, Canada — April 29, 2025 — Focal Naim America, a leading North American importer and distributor of premium consumer and professional electronics brands, has released two new HD audio playlists, with songs “Mixed on Focal” professional monitors. The playlists are available... Read More »
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 »
In today's world, Eydie Gormé (1928-2013) is most famous for being part of a successful singing duo with her husband, Steve Lawrence (1935-2024). As a pair, they were successful from the earliest days of stereo LPs and well into the digital era. They also excelled at comedy, and they looked great too. By all accounts,... 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 »
John Marks is a multidisciplinary generalist and a lifelong audio hobbyist. He was educated at Brown University and Vanderbilt Law School. He has worked as a music educator, recording engineer, classical-music record producer and label executive, and as a music and audio-equipment journalist. He was a columnist for The Absolute Sound, and also for Stereophile magazine. His consulting... Read More »
New PMG Signature Preamplifier, Signature 512 PureStream DAC, Signature Phono Preamplifier and Signature SACD Transport incorporate numerous design advancements to deliver extraordinary soun Boulder, Colorado, April 17, 2025 – In the most significant product introduction in its 50-year history, PS Audio announces its all-new PMG Signature Series of top-of-the-line ultimate-performance audio components. The four models... Read More »
David Fung, Evening Conversations. Yarlung Records 2006 2025 (Pure DSD256) HERE Edit Master Sourced I found myself talking recently on the phone with my friend Bob Attiyeh, the creative founder and visionary of Yarlung Records. I'm always intrigued by these occasional calls with Bob. One never knows whence they may wander. That day, Bob was... Read More »
Last year Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab began releasing six of Joni Mitchell's most iconic albums, making them all available not only as hybrid SACDs, but also in MoFi's ne plus ultra analog statement format, their UltraDisc One-Step 180 gram LP set. The series began with Ladies of the Canyon (1970), then moved to Joni's deeply... Read More »
Bob Witrak has been busy these past months with additions to the HDTT catalog. The biggest news is that the International Phonograph Jazz recordings are back! See my earlier note about this great news, HERE. Below are some of the new reissues (not IPI) that have caught my ear in recent weeks. Witches Brew, Alexander... Read More »
