My highlight of 2019 was visiting with Peter Qvortrup (below) and the Audio Note (UK) 'family' in Brighton, England. Meeting Peter Qvortrup, Daniel Qvortrup (Peter's son, below), Andy Grove, and Darko Greguras was a real treat. Peter and Daniel walked me through the Audio Note (UK) operation, and told me about some of the exciting... Read More »
Arlester "Dyke" Christian—along with James Brown—was almost singularly responsible for the infusion of Sixties funk and soul into rap music in the late 1980s. Yet ask the average man on the street about Dyke & the Blazers, and you'll generally be greeted with a blank stare in response. One of Dyke's biggest hits, "Let a... Read More »
Bach Sonatas and Partitas, Augustin Hadelich, violin. Warner Classics, 0190295048747. 2 CDs. A musician alone with his violin. No audience in sight. Or in mind. Some will consider these performances self-indulgent, a young maverick who hasn't earned the right to take this music to himself. Not me. I have enjoyed Hadelich's Ligetti (live), Adès, Sibelius,... Read More »
A key chipset upgrade for Shawline HDMI brings 48 Gbps performance for AV lovers, gamers and more 16th July 2020, Wiltshire, England: Chord Company has upgraded one of its best-loved HDMI cables, Shawline HDMI, to 48 Gbps performance, giving super-fast transfer rates from advanced HDMI chipsets. The new Shawline HDMI AOC 21 (Active Optical Cable) uses a high-quality... Read More »
Sumiko Introduces the Newest Addition to the Debut Series from Pro-Ject Audio Systems MAPLE GROVE, MN (July 15, 2021) - Sumiko and Pro-Ject USA are proud to announce the new Debut PRO Turntable from Pro-Ject Audio Systems. The original Pro-Ject 1 and its successor, the Debut series, revolutionized the music listening experience while reinvigorating... Read More »
Nesconset, NY — June 8, 2021: Following up the springtime debut of the Hypsos hybrid linear/switching PSU, Ferrum is continuing its mission of creating category-defining audio products with the introduction of the Oor headphone amplifier. The Polish design firm HEM, parent company of the Ferrum brand, has years of experience quietly masterminding high-performing electronics... Read More »
In San Francisco, Set for Oct. 16th & 17th San Francisco, CA July 14, 2021 — An expanded Burning Amp Festival 2021 returns after a year of Covid lockdown, October 16th & 17th at Fort Mason Center on the bay in San Francisco. This will be the 13th Burning Amp, which has since 2007 provided a forum for Do-It-Yourselfers... Read More »
MAPLE GROVE, MN (July 15, 2021) - Sumiko and Pro-Ject USA are proud to announce the new Debut PRO Turntable from Pro-Ject Audio Systems. The original Pro-Ject 1 and its successor, the Debut series, revolutionized the music listening experience while reinvigorating a passion for analog playback – a turning point for the industry. Pro-Ject continues... Read More »
DIY Audio’s Premiere International Festival Held Annually in San Francisco, Set for Oct. 16th & 17th FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS CONTACT: Bryan Stanton [email protected] San Francisco, CA July 14, 2021 — An expanded Burning Amp Festival 2021 returns after a year of Covid lockdown, October 16th & 17th at Fort Mason Center on the bay in... Read More »
Parasound Taking the Audio-Show Plunge at RMAF Finally, the first public demonstration of the John Curl-designed Parasound Halo JC 1+ 450-watt Monoblock Amplifier. SAN FRANCISCO (July 12, 2021) – When Parasound introduced and first started shipping its flagship Parasound Halo JC 1+ 450-watt monoblock power amplifier in early 2020, they were looking forward to... Read More »
The New York Brands are Thrilled to Guide Music Makers and Lovers to Find Their Sound in a World Full of Noise JULY 13, 2021 (NEW YORK, NY) – McIntosh Laboratory, Inc. and CONVICTS have teamed up to launch “Voice of Sound,” a new short film that celebrates the history of sound and music, voiced... Read More »
Roger Skoff is the former CEO and Lead Designer of XLO, and the current Chief Honcho and Lead Designer of RSX Technologies. Full disclosure = no conflict of interest, eh? The views expressed here are Roger's own...but they happen to be ones that I would agree with. You might, too, eh? And if not, la... Read More »
As I said before, besides being conscious that I was a separate entity, I learned that I was also a mobile unit. I could walk around, touching many interesting things. My fingers were amazing appendages. They were instruments of discovery. I was continually surprised by all the wonderful things I could do with my hands,... Read More »
The Family-Owned Japanese Brand Commemorates 60 Years of Innovation in the Hifi Audio Business Tokyo, Japan (July 8, 2021). Rotel has achieved global acclaim and recognition for performance and value since Mr. Tomoki Tachikawa launched the brand in Tokyo, Japan in 1961. For the past 60 years, generations of audio enthusiasts, music lovers, artists and... Read More »
Paris, Hilary Hahn (violin); Radio France Philharmonic/Mikko Franck. DG 00289 483 9847 (CD). TT: 52.51. CHAUSSON: Poème. PROKOFIEV: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D. RAUTAVAARA: Deux sérénades. The chief interest here lies in Einojuhari Rautavaara's Deux sérénades, adapted for Hilary Hahn from his opera The House of the Sun; when the composer died in mid-project, his onetime student... Read More »
Melco’s latest firmware brings a world of Qobuz high-res music for direct download and playback 6th July 2021, Surrey, UK: Melco Audio has released new firmware bringing Qobuz Downloader to its current range of EX Series (and EX-updated) music libraries. Available from today, the new firmware version 4.20 brings even more exciting features to Melco digital music libraries,... Read More »
INITIO 3, like OPTIMO 3 DUO, delivers life-like natural sound. Designed and fine-tuned with only the highest audio quality in mind, INITIO 3 will greatly improve sonic performance of JCAT USB & NET cards or any other low-current audio component requiring up to 3A. Based on JCAT’s flagship OPTIMO 3 DUO PSU design, INITIO 3 comes with two DC... Read More »
Dan Zimmerman, an artist with Positive Feedback, has been developing a new book on creativity and the inner, spiritual life of the artist. The subtitle of PF, you may recall, is "A Creative Forum for the Audio Arts." Music and the audio arts are only domains within this larger world of creative work. Therefore I... Read More »
I know, I know…I promised y'all I was gonna present Part III of the Grant Green story to you from last issue. But there's something I just gotta tell you about, and it can't wait. Reason is, it's a timely issue—one of the legends is hanging up his spurs, and this is my tribute to... Read More »
This article, as reviewed by Victor Chavira and Jim Grudzien originally ran in Issue 2, August/Sepetmber 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. NAD is a British company that specializes... Read More »
Walter Liederman and Underwood Hifi for Core Power Tech A/V is now shipping from stock the new EQUI-CORE 1000. Introductory Priced at $999 – DELIVERED Conus This is our Best Value, Balanced Power AC Mains Conditioner. A full 1000 watts and 8.5 amps on tap and ready to use. A perfect package - measuring 12... Read More »
Atlanta, GA -- The GIK Acoustics Summer Giveaway Photo Contest is back for the 3rd consecutive year by popular demand! We have all had a long year, spending a lot of time in our home and private spaces, making them sound great - and now it’s time we invite our customers to submit photos illustrating... Read More »
Buffalo, NY, June 24, 2021---- Bluebird Music, distributor of high-performance audio products since 2000, is pleased to announce the availability of the Questyle M12, an ultrahigh performance mobile headphone amp/DAC. New $199 Questyle M12 Features Ultra-Low Distortion CMA Amplification Technology and Optimized ESS Flagship DAC The M12 features an unmatched level of technical sophistication and... Read More »
Streaming elevated to a higher plane Southport, England – From mainstream smart speakers to specialised audio systems, digital streaming – often over a Wi-Fi network – has become the dominant method of listening to music at home. For those who care about sound quality, building a system from dedicated audio components remains the best route... Read More »
Part 2: RECORDINGS In the 1990s, the music industry moved from reel-to-reel recorders, both analog and digital, to DAW recording systems, i.e. computer workstations. The Alesis Electronics ADAT digital multi-track tape recorders represent a turning point in this history. DIGITAL SOUND RECORDING – an audio preservation method in which the audio signals are converted into... Read More »
– New album featuring female vocal rock band Foxfeather is available on SACD and via download, recorded using exclusive DSDDirect Mastering – Boulder, Colorado, June 21, 2021 – PS Audio’s Octave Records label has released its latest album, The Nature of Things by the band Foxfeather. It’s a compelling blend of rock, pop, acoustic-electric roots... Read More »
Naim Audio launches first-ever turntable plus next-generation Aro tonearm as part of complete Solstice Special Edition package – limited to 500 units Salisbury, England (June 21, 2021) - Vinyl-lovers can now finally enjoy the full Naim Audio experience with the launch of Solstice, the first turntable in the British brand’s almost 50-year history. It comes... Read More »
MAPLE GROVE, MN (June 17, 2021) – Sumiko is excited to announce the launch of three new phono cartridges and one new stylus, extending the company’s high-end audio collection with audiophile-grade enhancements for any new or existing turntable system. The Blue Point No. 3 High and Blue Point No. 3 Low phono cartridges replace the... Read More »
After it’s been a public secret for a while that the founder of the Densen brand, Thomas Sillesen, has been on the look-out for a buyer of his HiFi company, it’s been announced two new partners have taken over the brand, which was founded in 1993 in Esbjerg, Denmark. Casper Reinhold and Ditlev Leth... Read More »
HD Audio streaming playlists of songs mixed on Focal speakers show off what the music was meant to sound like when listening on Focal speakers Montreal, Canada (June 15, 2021) — Today Focal Naim America, a leading North American importer, and distributor of premium consumer and professional electronics brands, announces “Mixed on Focal” a new program to highlight the... Read More »
New Subwoofer Adds Oomph to Award-Winning SpinBase Turntable Speaker System Andover, MA—June 2021— Building on its highly acclaimed “Spin” product system, and created in response to customer feedback, Andover Audio introduces SpinSub: a 100-watt subwoofer designed to pair with the award-winning SpinBase Turntable Speaker System. SpinSub connects to SpinBase via its subwoofer output, and... Read More »
Orchard Audio Introduces Starkrimson® Stereo Ultra: a 500W Stereo Gallium Nitride (GaN) Hi-Fi Audio Amplifier June 15, 2021 – Succasunna, New Jersey. Following the enormous success of the Starkrimson® Mono amplifier, Orchard Audio is introducing the Starkrimson Stereo Ultra amplifier, with the same proprietary dual-feedback modulator and next-generation gallium nitride (GaN) transistors. Unlike its predicesor... Read More »
16th June 2021, Surrey, UK: Melco Audio has significantly upgraded its highly acclaimed entry-level N100-H20 digital music library, creating a new high-capacity HDD variant, the N100-H50, which more than doubles the original device’s music storage capability. The new N100-H50 benefits from a 150 per cent capacity increase over the standard 2 TB N100-H20 (which stays in the range),... Read More »
Record Store Day 2021 has two summer dates this year, June 12 and July 17, and Craft Recordings has no fewer than twelve RSD exclusive releases to offer this go around. Last year's RSD was the craziest ever, what with the pandemic and everything, but 2021 seems to be bringing new hope for some kind... Read More »
World-Renowned Vocalist Patricia Barber Announces Clique (Impex Records), Brand New Album of Standards out August 6th in Mind-Blowing Hi-Fi Recorded, Mixed & Mastered in Digital eXtreme Definition 2.0 and 5.1, with Multi GRAMMY-Winner & Longtime Creative Partner Jim Anderson Listen to Patricia Barber’s Take on Lee Hazlewood’s “This Town.” Patricia Barber, the performer known for... Read More »
HOUSTON, Texas - Rolling out its vast worldwide network of Focal Powered by Naim stores, VerVent Audio, the union of iconic brands Focal and Naim, announces the opening of a store in Houston (Texas) on May 26. This brand-new store opened in the fourth largest US city and will set the tone for future official... Read More »
Orange, CA June 7th, 2021 – ELAC, a leading global provider of high-performance speakers and electronics, today announced the Uni-Fi Reference line of home speakers. This new line builds upon the success of the Uni-Fi 2.0 series and incorporates a variety of performance and cosmetic improvements. “This new line removes the price limitations of the... Read More »
