Tom Caulfield is NativeDSD's mastering engineer and an accomplished DSD multi-channel recording engineer. I've had the pleasure of getting to know Tom over the past several months via a series of email conversations as he's tried to help me understand the ins and outs of some of the digital technology with which he works every... Read More »
I have been looking forward to telling you about the Pass Labs XP-12 line-level preamplifier, as I've found the XP-12 to make for an excellent match to the Pass Labs XA25 Class A stereo amplifier (reviewed HERE), as well the First Watt SIT-3 single-ended stereo amplifier (reviewed HERE), which are my current benchmarks for relatively... Read More »
Two Affordable Active Monitors, Alpha AM3 and Alpha AM5, Built on Success of Highly Acclaimed Alpha Series PICKERING, ONTARIO, CANADA OCTOBER 14, 2020 -– PSB Speakers, long renowned for excellence in loudspeaker design, announced the immediate availability of two new affordable compact, powered speakers, the Alpha AM3 and Alpha AM5. The new models are founded... Read More »
London/Tokyo, 13 October 2020 – WOWOW, Japan’s leading premium pay TV broadcaster, livestreamed a musical performance in real time using MQA audio with HD video recently, firmly establishing WOWOW as the leader in sound quality for its live OTT (over the top) broadcasting. Virtuoso marimba player, Makoto Nakura, performed a selection of Bach repertoire in... Read More »
October 11, 2020 We are happy to announce the release of two fantastic projects the: new microRendu version 1.5 and the new Optical Module Deluxe. The new microRendu 1.5 now features improved power converters and capacitors, improved clock buffers and an improved USB A jack with a through hole mount. A more organic and revealing... Read More »
Sporting a host of enhancements both inside and out, one of the most highly acclaimed hi-res DAC/headphone amps on the planet just got even better – meet the micro iDSD Signature Southport, England – iFi audio, the acclaimed maker of audio devices for home and portable use, has redesigned one of its most popular products to... Read More »
New Bluetooth 5.0 Earbud Features High-end Output, Rugged Resistance to Dirt and Sweat BELLMORE, NY, October 6, 2020 – HIFIMAN, the leader in high fidelity personal audio, will soon deliver its second True Wireless® earbud that offers demonstrably improved sonics and exceptional Bluetooth reception that meets and exceeds expectations for the price. The new TWS800 ($299) is a full range... Read More »
Uncompromising Audio Engineering and Expert Craftsmanship create The Integrated Amplifier of Your Dreams Binghamton, NY – October 9, 2020 – McIntosh, the global leader in prestigious home entertainment and ultimate-quality audio for 70 years, is proud to introduce the MA12000 Hybrid Integrated Amplifier. The fully loaded, hybrid MA12000 Integrated Amplifier is a product of uncompromising... Read More »
These Perfect Song articles have moved beyond my original intent: So, what is a perfect song? In my opinion, a perfect song touches you on many different levels. It goes beyond simply how it sounds into the more ethereal boundaries of how it makes you feel. It is a melding of music, lyrics, vocals, and... Read More »
The more I listen to the recordings created by Brendon Heinst and his team, the more enchanted I become. TRPTK has easily become a favorite music label in this household because of the highly varied and non-traditional repertoire, extraordinarily good artists (whom we may not know by name but are very deserving of our attention),... Read More »
Lenbrook Americas Launches DALI OBERON C Wireless Hi-Fi Made Easy and Affordable Oberon C wireless active speakers and SOUND HUB COMPACT audio preamplifier couple simplicity of installation and operation with audiophile sound quality PICKERING, ONTARIO, CANADA, OCTOBER 6, 2020 – Lenbrook Americas today launched the DALI OBERON C Series, DALI’s most affordable smart speaker system,... Read More »
VPI’s stunning new Prime 21 turntables build upon the success of the award-winning Prime series to deliver a vastly improved performance and offer a super-simple set-up procedure. The Prime 21 and 21+ are designed for music lovers who demand high-end performance but do not want to have to learn hi-fi technician skills to get their... Read More »
October 6, 2020 – Salisbury, UK Naim Audio, the British hi-fi specialist with 47 years of audio expertise, has added extra functionality to its Control4 Media driver, giving CI professionals even more ways to integrate Naim’s award-winning range of music-streaming speakers and systems. The new features sit alongside Zone driver functionality, which allows installers to... Read More »
One of the audiophile "tweaks" most often criticized on the internet and in back-room bull sessions is the use of cable lifters to improve system sound. In fact, other than cables, themselves, which are a perennial source of audiophile controversy, there's hardly anything I can think of that gets more consistently negative commentary, with or... Read More »
The Vinnie Rossi L2i SE Integrated Preamp with DAC and Pono Section (image courtesy of Vinnie Rossi Audio) Ye Olde Editor, in situ (portrait by John Robinson; image processing by David W. Robinson) Mark Sossa is a very discerning man, and a successful US distributor offine audio with his company, Well Pleased A/V. He knows... Read More »
If you're a baby boomer (OK, Boomer!) or one of their children, you no doubt have a strong familiarity of the works of jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi. Or at least, you know him through osmosis, via his compositions for the many Charlie Brown and Peanuts television specials and movies that have aired almost incessantly since... Read More »
The year continues to be a trial for us all in balance and direction. I hope you are making the transitions needed or wanted in the most healthy and happy ways. September 22nd marks a nice day in our planet's orbit to feel less wobbly and angular and more direct and equally distributed. Happy Equinox... Read More »
Freeze this moment a little bit longer Neil Peart GHOSTS…In keeping with my apparent predilection—as an obsessive chronicler of fructifying high end sonics and spiritually inspiring music—to focus my attentions on the fallen, and finally having access to a working computer (again, my long time PC vapor locked on me in pre-pandemic January), Radio Free... Read More »
North Reading, MA: Over the past 12 months, Bowers & Wilkins has enjoyed outstanding success with its flagship PX7 over-ear wireless headphones. These adaptive noise-cancelling designs offer an unmatched combination of breathtaking sound quality, smart features and supreme comfort which together have helped them win countless awards and recommendations around the world. 2020 also marks... Read More »
Majik LP12 is the second Linn source to get a boost in performance in as many months Further to the August launch of new Majik DSM, Linn has now announced an update for its Majik LP12: the entry level variant of the iconic turntable will shortly receive a new, higher performance tonearm. Produced in partnership... Read More »
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 — Wireworld Cable Technology, one of the world's most respected brands of high-performance audio and video cables, announces the release of the Stellar™ Fiber Optic HDMI cable. These extended-range cables utilize the highest quality laser modules and driver chips to improve image quality and provide long term reliability, while supporting the... Read More »
Deep Bass, Wireless Connectivity, Endless Applications Makes It Easier Than Ever to ‘Just Add Bass’ Pickering, Ontario, CanadA, September 22, 2020 – Bluesound, makers of the award-winning hi-res wireless multi-room line of audio players, announced the PULSE SUB+, an all-new subwoofer addition to the brand’s high-performance ecosystem. The SUB+ adds deep bass to any wireless... Read More »
Buffalo, NY, September 23, 2020 -- Bluebird Music, distributor of high-performance audio products since 2000, is pleased to announce their appointment as US and Canadian distributor of products from Weiss Engineering, a leader in digital audio technology for 35 years. Weiss will be the seventh brand distributed by Bluebird, joining AVM (Audio Video Manufaktur) electronics, Jadis vacuum tube electronics, SME tonearms and turntables, Questyle personal audio products,... Read More »
Battle of the Big Bands! This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations The late-1930s to mid-1940s—it was the height of the big band era, as well as the second world war. Call me foolishly nostalgic perhaps but at least during that arduous period, we could lovingly hug and comfort each other, as opposed to... Read More »
Qobuz, the world's 1st Hi-Res music service, raises 10 million euros to consolidate its future developments. Paris, September 21, 2020 - Qobuz, the world’s 1st Hi-Res music streaming and download service, announced that it has raised 10 million euros in new capital to drive its momentum and consolidate its future developments. To support its international... Read More »
To my ears, the Dutch label Just Listen Records is today capturing much of what is best about live, or nearly live, recordings in their direct-to-DSD256 productions. And occasionally live-to-DXD if needed by the recording and venue. In my days collecting vinyl, I always enjoyed direct-to-disc recordings...when they were well done. And not all were.... Read More »
I think it's fairly well-known in the high-end community that people tend to like what they like, and they tend to like different sounding systems. Many people like severely colored systems, but they like their kind of severely colored system and they don't like the kind of system their friend likes. Horn speaker people like... Read More »
London,UK-1September 2020 The Funk Firm has released a new dynamically stable Cartridge DeCoupler. Named Houdini, Funk claims that much as a tuning fork couples its vibration when placed onto a guitar box, the very act of firmly bolting the cartridge to the arm similarly couples and superimposes its resonances directly onto the cartridge. Funk claims... Read More »
Thousand Oaks, CA, September 16, 2020 - Zesto Audio is pleased to announce their new product upgrade, the Energy Source Power Supply, named the ESP Supply available on three of their preamplifiers, the Andros II Phonostage, the Andros Deluxe II Phonostage and the Leto Ultra II Preamplifier. George Counnas, President and design engineer of Zesto Audio says, “I named it the ESP... Read More »
Qobuz Live & Rhino Present: ‘John Coltrane - Giant Steps 60’: An All-Star Livestream Discussion with Archie Shepp, Shabaka Hutchings, Lakecia Benjamin, and Melissa Aldana Moderated by Ashley Kahn and Greg Tate on September 23 The Event marks THREE occasions: Coltrane’s 94th Birthday, Giant Steps’s 60th Anniversary, And the release of Giant Steps: 60th Anniversary... Read More »
PRESS RELEASE:17th SEPTEMBER 2020 MOON has created an iconic audio system to celebrate its 40th anniversary. The stunning MOON Anniversary Edition features the highly acclaimed 680D streaming DAC and the elegantly powerful 600i v2 integrated amplifier. Each model is finished in a beautiful Millesime Red colourway designed to give a contemporary look plus a discreet... Read More »
Roon Ready status instantly upgrades Leema’s handmade-in-Wales streaming-capable range A key software upgrade adds Roon and enables the best-performing Leema Acoustics streamers to date 15th September 2020, Wales, UK: Leema Acoustics has upgraded its streaming-capable products to include Roon playback. Several products are primed to benefit from the upgrade including the company’s recently launched Stream... Read More »
Experience Exceptional Music Everywhere with the Naim Mu-so for Bentley Special Edition and Focal for Bentley Radiance Crewe/Salisbury/St Etienne – Monday, September 14, 2020 Music lovers can now enjoy exceptional sound and styling whether listening at home, on the move, or in any Bentley car, thanks to an extended collaboration between the iconic British marque,... Read More »
When Dr. David, Ye Olde Editor at PF, invited me to write some music reviews with a principal focus on DXD and DSD256, I don't think he expected I might start with these particular albums from High Definition Tape Transfers. But, honestly, I just have to start with these wonderful recordings from the earliest days... Read More »
Mytek Audio introduces the Empire DAC/Streamer/Preamplifier; The flagship of the new “Empire” Series FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New York, NY, September 14, 2020 Mytek Audio proudly introduces the EMPIRE DAC/Streamer/Preamplifier; An “all out” assault on the state-of-the-art, the EMPIRE establishes Mytek as a top echelon player in the high-performance audio arena. The Streamer is “Powered by... Read More »
Prestigious award presented to Founder of MQA for Career of Innovations London, 14 September 2020 – Bob Stuart, creator of MQA and co-founder of Meridian Audio, is awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering Prince Philip Medal for ‘his exceptional contribution to audio engineering which has changed the way we listen to music and experience films’.... Read More »
The world’s most advanced digital music libraries are set to add Roon Ready convenience to complement Melco’s no-compromise Intelligent Music Library (MIML) software suite Ballston Spa, New York, September 2020—Melco’s new EX Series of digital music libraries will soon benefit from Roon compatibility. The Japanese specialist’s five-strong EX Series product line up, which saw the... Read More »
