Nordost Launches the QNET7 Network Switch: Nordost is proud to announce the official launch of the QNET7, their high-fidelity Layer-2 network switch, following the exclusive "sneak peek" at the High End Show in Munich, Germany this past Spring. The much-anticipated QNET7 is now available to customers at authorized Nordost retailers, worldwide. Engineered from the ground... Read More »
Tom Peeters is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Cobra Records, which he founded in the fall of 2000. As founder, recording engineer, mastering engineer, and producer of nearly 100 exquisite albums released on the Cobra Records label over these years, Tom has many accomplishments for which his work should be celebrated. And he thanked. His... Read More »
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab continues their brilliant restoration of Santana's catalog of albums with a new reissue of the band's 1977's classic, Moonflower. Sprawling across a pair of LPs, Moonflower unconventionally combined new studio tracks with Santana's first official domestic release of any of the band's live recordings. Moonflower provided a thrilling showcase of Santana's... Read More »
Hardware, more and better, constant angst—bleh. I suppose I'm the outlier among most audiophile circles because I rarely change equipment. And, I'm not eager to go listening to gear. For me, I want better software. That's clearly my shtick, always has been. And, here, it's not as much the music as it is the sound... Read More »
“Rumours of my death are greatly exaggerated” ~ Pacific Audio Fest ~ We WILL be back in 2026! Same venue, better dates. September 11-13, 2026 In 2024 we considered making PAF a biennial event, and scheduled the next show for 2026. Turns out everyone wants it to be an annual event. So beginning in 2026 it... Read More »
Multi-Release Physical And Digital Packages Confirmed for 2025 And 2026 First Up is At The Hollywood Bowl 1943-1948 on October 3rd Followed by Christmas on The Air with 5xLP- vinyl exclusive Box Set Long Ago, Far Away, scheduled for Fall/Holiday releases of 2025. SING Spared No Expense on Extensive Audio Restoration Campaign from Original Broadcast... Read More »
Jewel Faye Smith (1943-2005), who went by the name Sammi Smith, was born in Orange, California. Due to her father's military career, she lived in Arizona, Texas, Colorado, and Oklahoma. In 1967 she was discovered in an Oklahoma City nightclub by Johnny Cash's bassist, Marshall Grant, and subsequently she moved to Nashville. With help from... Read More »
This has been a very interesting if not challenging review, especially when considering the sound quality of this reissue compared to the original pressing and other reissues that have been released over the years. Well established as a true classic, this 1975 self-titled album by Fleetwood Mac was the first with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey... Read More »
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's ongoing release of Joni Mitchell's most iconic albums continues with her 1976 transitional masterpiece, Hejira, where her embrace of jazz idioms deepened far beyond her initial explorations in both Court and Spark (1974) and The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975). Hejira is very much a road album of sorts, a musical... Read More »
Michael Fremer and Bob Levi CLARICE from Bob Attiyeh and Yarlung Records Extraordinarily well recorded with every tube and analog bell and whistle, this 45 RPM LP of Clarice, pressed in Germany, is another Yarlung Records treat. Bob Attiyeh of Yarlung Records, 2018. A portrait. Considering that the producer, Bob Attiyeh, has taste levels superior... Read More »
I recently had the opportunity to review Joni Mitchell's classic album Court and Spark, which is part of Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's ongoing release of six of Joni's most iconic albums. You can read my review of that superb UltraDisc One-Step set HERE. The UltraDisc is MoFi's ne plus ultra analog statement format, and their... Read More »
Rhino Entertainment has just released Jethro Tull's Still Living In The Past, which updates the band's original 1972 album issue in every possible way. Still Living In The Past is being released as a gatefold double LP edition, as well as an expansive 5-CD+Bluray package, all remixed and remastered by Steven Wilson. The 2-LP set... Read More »
Craft Latino celebrates Latin and Salsa music across a host of subgenres, with eight new LP reissues, many of which have been long out of print. Featuring three albums that are continuing the centennial celebration of "The Queen of Salsa," Celia Cruz; percussionist extraordinaire Ray Barretto's 1975 self-titled album; a pair of albums from salsa... Read More »
Sound Liaison founder and recording engineer Frans de Rond makes some wonderful recordings. He and his business partner Peter Bjørnild have been doing so for quite a long time, and my music library is delightfully filled with their superb small ensemble and duo recordings. The other day, their newsletter flowed into my email box and... Read More »
Woodinville, WA – Genesis Advanced Technologies and Merrill Audio Advanced Technologies co-sponsored the Friday Night entertainment for show goers at the inaugural Pacific Audiofest in 2022. We hired a local band-leader, Mr. Paul Sawtelle, to put a 17-piece big band together for a concert. “This album was total serendipity,” said Genesis Chief Designer and CEO... Read More »
Rhino Entertainment is celebrating the musical legacy of the B-52's with multi-LP and CD catalog box sets, The B-52's The Warner/Reprise Years, which collects the band's eight albums from the years between 1979 and 1992. Formed in Athens, Georgia in 1977, the B-52's initially rode the crest of the New Wave with a string of... Read More »
Re-published from Copper magazine; used with permission of the owner Paul McGowan, and the Editor, Frank Doris. Images used by permission. DALI EPIKORE 9 loudspeakers I'd known of DALI Loudspeakers for a while. The Danish company (DALI stands for Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries) has been exhibiting at AXPONA right by the Renaissance Schaumburg hotel's check-in area, a prime... Read More »
Bach hanging out with John Marks... John Marks continues with the Gentlemen; see HERE for Part 1. QOBUZ Playlist Link https://play.qobuz.com/playlist/33451444 Jesse Colin Young, Light Shine (1974) "Jesse Colin Young" was the stage name of singer-songwriter Perry Miller (1941-2025). He chose that stage name in part because of his admiration for Lotus sports- and racing-car... Read More »
Bob Levi: a portrait by David W. Robinson (photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson) House of the Singing Blossoms (click for complete album art and information), a jazz tour-de-force starring Anthony Wilson is recorded at Sam First's jazz club and recording studio by Sam First Records. This two record set with thick stock gatefold... Read More »
Audiophile Day is delighted that its tenth year in 2025 is being commemorated globally to celebrate music and audiophiles around the world. Now officially listed in Chase’s Calendar of Events, Audiophile Day has grown in recognition each year since the first celebration in 2016. The demand for excellent high-fidelity equipment driven by audiophiles significantly impacts... Read More »
With its upcoming amplifier, AMP-44R, Enleum has been awarded the most prestigious of design awards, the "Red Dot: Best of the Best 2025". This award is given for groundbreaking design and is the highest award in the competition, reserved only for “the best of the best” products in a category. And this is Enleum’s second... Read More »
"Black" Background – Roger Skoff writes about what it's really like. Have you ever been to the beach? No, I'm not kidding. There really are millions of people—unlike us here in California or on either coast—who live nowhere a major body of water, and whose only idea of the beach comes from movies. So, for... Read More »
This Recent Finds includes an eclectic selection of music from the NativeDSD catalog. What's the common thread? In each case, I found the music engaging, the performers/performances excellent, and the sound quality at a very high standard. Beyond that, it is highly varied group of albums. Frans de Rond us gives another of his marvelous... Read More »
This Recent Finds edition is back to HDTT releases. Some new and some from a few years past that are past due for a review. All are very nice. In fact, four of them are included in my recent Pure DSD256 from Analog Tape: My Top of the Pile listing—albums that were always a reference... Read More »
Buffalo, NY, August 4, 2025 -- Bluebird Music, distributor of fine audio products for 25 years, is pleased to announce their appointment as North American distributor of the extraordinary Peak Consult loudspeakers from Denmark. Peak Consult speakers have been reviewer favorites for decades. While well-known in Europe, the line has been missing from the North American market —until... Read More »
5 August 2025, Cambridgeshire, UK: AVID, the British analogue hi-fi manufacturer, has unveiled the new EVO TWO, an advanced 3.5-way floorstanding loudspeaker and the new flagship of its three-strong EVO series. Hot on the heels of the new Relveo turntable launched in July, AVID’s latest release in its special 30th anniversary year expands the company’s... Read More »
Audio Advice Live 2025 took place August 1-3, in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel. I hadn't been to Raleigh in over sixteen years, and I have to admit—I honestly didn't recognize it at all, it's grown so very much! Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina and its second largest city;... Read More »
Ye Olde Editor on his deck with the sun, a son, a cigar, Port, and some fine outdoor music, contemplating.... Happy Valley, OR, 2023 (Photograph by John Robinson; image processing by YOE himself.) Passion is a long, deep road...often life-long. You have your list; I have mine. Among other fine audio passions—and they are many—is... Read More »
Three-day event brings home entertainment fans together for an unforgettable experience in Raleigh. RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA—July 29, 2025: Just days away, the fourth annual Audio Advice Live event is set to transform the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, into an oasis of home-entertainment experience. Taking place August 1–3, the nation’s largest home-entertainment show provides a... Read More »
Legendary Heritage Series loudspeakers featured in must-hear two-channel demo July 29, 2025 (Indianapolis, IN) — Klipsch brings fresh energy to its iconic Heritage Series at this year’s Audio Advice Live, introducing new designs and technologies that blend premium performance with modern design sensibilities. Attendees will experience one of the first public demonstrations of the Heritage... Read More »
July 29, 2025 — Focal Naim America will bring its latest high-end audio to Audio Advice Live 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Attendees will experience an immersive Focal Naim 7.4.4 home theater, the new Focal Diva Utopia and Diva Mezza Utopia, and Focal’s high-fidelity headphones in Hannover I ballroom. Focal Naim Immersive Home Theater Room... Read More »
The Flying Burrito Brothers were formed in 1968 by former members of The Byrds Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons (1946-1973), who both had similar backgrounds in rural music. Their debut album was the critically acclaimed The Gilded Palace Of Sin (A&M SP 4175), released in February of 1969. A few months prior to recording The... Read More »
Buster Williams (photograph by Michael Oletta) Sound, despite its constant incursion on each day's human complexity, defines an essential emotional framework of our too distracted lives. Music is the ultimate agency and augmentation of the brute episteme sound confers on thought and feeling. That sonic world precedes us. It survives our brief time on earth, irreducible to memes, generalities and intellectual explication.... Read More »
Cary Audio, a leader in high-end audio innovation, proudly announces the launch of the DMS-300A Streaming Integrated Amplifier, the latest evolution in its acclaimed DMS product line. Designed to deliver the ultimate in sonic performance and streaming convenience, the DMS-300A combines Cary Audio’s renowned amplifier technology with robust digital connectivity in a single, elegant component. At... Read More »
We would like to inform you of a recent update regarding our new A-Series, introduced in the press release sent on the 30th of April 2025. Due to a naming similarity with another product in the audio industry, we have updated the name of the AURELIA loudspeaker to AURELLE. We kindly ask you to reflect... Read More »
AudioQuest is delighted to introduce its newest ZERO-Tech speaker cable, Brave Heart — bigger, quieter, and altogether better than any speaker cable AQ has offered at its price. There are a number of technical details, both external and internal, that contribute to Brave Heart's outstanding combination of performance and value. Bigger Physically, Brave Heart is... Read More »
I've been following Bert van der Wolf-Oude Avenhuis' hints about seeking a new dedicated recording space for well over a year. And now it is coming into focus with a lovely old church building he and his wife have purchased. Soon High Street Studio in Heerewaarden, Holland, will be a reality and music will start... Read More »
