All photos by Dave Clark, words by Carol Clark... more on AXPONA 2018. Also, just a note. Not all rooms provide equipment lists, so many times I have to go by what is on the door sign. If you notice an error we are happy to correct it. Thank you! The Audio Company had an... Read More »
All photos by Dave Clark, words by Carol Clark... more on AXPONA 2018. Also, just a note. Not all rooms provide equipment lists, so many times I have to go by what is on the door sign. If you notice an error we are happy to correct it. Thank you! Vanatoo loudspeakers. Dan Wright of... Read More »
AXPONA 2018 was an absolute delight. More head count. More smiling faces. More listening rooms. Friendly hosts. Friendly patrons. It wasn't the shoulder to shoulder crush of people and the waterfall of merchandise like the CES of 10 to 15 years ago, but the good vibes and positive energy was everywhere. This was the first... Read More »
All photos by Dave Clark, words by Carol Clark... more on AXPONA 2018. Clarus Cable system. McIntosh in the house! Clarus Cables. Burwell & Sons Loudspeakers, Rogers High Fidelity. Very nice. A museum of electrical things in the High Fidelity Cables room. Van der Graaf generator. Electricity was in the air. High Fidelity Cables system.... Read More »
All photos by Dave Clark, words by Carol Clark... more on AXPONA 2018. Sue Toscano has an endless supply of energy, I was hoping it would rub off! Gayle Sanders with his new Eikon loudspeaker, room correction, amplifier, DAC, all-in-one system debuted at AXPONA. System total $24,5000. The sound was quite remarkable. While Gayle is a... Read More »
This is the first year Dave and I have attended AXPONA. I quickly learned, it's not just another show. With over 160 rooms, there was a lot of ground to cover. It reminded me of the days of CES, lots of walking and not enough time for listening. There were new products to see, and... Read More »
Observation 1 Okay we all get it—the bigger the better. The more rooms the better for profits and attracting attendees, but let's be realistic, it does not work for pretty much anyone other than the hotel and perhaps the promoter. The recent AXPONA had at my count 165 exhibit rooms (spread over 9 floors and... Read More »
This is Part 2 of my Axpona 2018 Show report... lots of pics! Sennheiser HE-1 Headphone System $60K, but yeah, it sounded great! Gayle Sanders Legacy Audio Scaena Constellation Audio and Martin Logan I loved this system last year, and it was equally enjoyable this year. Ruel: Self-powered Line Array. Very cool! How could they... Read More »
Berkeley, CA – April 16, 2018 – SUMIKO is proud to announce six new phono cartridges, the outcome of a 3-year development effort. The new line will be premiered at the Munich High End Show, May 10-13, 2018. Sumiko is introducing 4 new moving magnet cartridges, the Rainier, Olympia, Moonstone and Amethyst which join the... Read More »
Spectacle in Two Acts with Epilogue Prologue The plan was simple: we wanted to get to know the new dCS SACD player, the Vivaldi One. In December 2013, we were listening to the new at the time, four-box Vivaldi prepared by dCS and presented to us by the sales director, Raveen Baava. The device left... Read More »
1st Floor Entrance of the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel The late, great show-master of early TV, Ed Sullivan, would say, "That was a Really Big Shew!" And yes, ladies and germs, AXPONA 2018 was certainly all that, and a bottle of spring water. After a successful multi-year run at the Westin in Rosemont, Il, this year,... Read More »
I’ve been totally overwhelmed by the size of the show, and trying to cover all the rooms. Industry turnout today Friday was, as my Absolute Sound buddy Andre commented, "like RMAF, pre-renovation, only with far more consumer turnout." According to Liz Miller of JD Events, there were 162 rooms at AXPONA 2018. Consumer attendance on... Read More »
Ye Olde Editor contemplating the mysteries of life and audio… (Photograph by John Robinson) Back in the winter of 2017 (HERE in Issue 94), I shared my evaluation of the Sound Galleries SGM2015 reference-level Music Server. Since a music server cannot be reviewed without also considering either an internal or downstream DAC, my comments had... Read More »
VPI Industries is proud to debut the production models of the VPI JMW Fatboy tonearms at Axpona 2018. Both Unipivot and Gimbal versions will be on display and are available choices for all VPI turntables. In-addition can easily be mounted with other turntable brands. The availability of Unipivot and Gimbal options is to provide arm option styles for... Read More »
A few of the new product debuts: DIGITAL Balanced Audio Technology REX tube DAC - $18,995 | Find it in the Wolf Audio room 714 COMPONENTS / DIGITAL Primare Prisma series integrated amps and CD players with network streaming | Find it in the MoFi room 334 ANALOG Mobile Fidelity’s new Super Heavyweight designed by HRS | Find it in... Read More »
DIEPPE, New-Brunswick, Canada—APRIL 11, 2018—RUEL® will unveil the R+ at the AXPONA Chicago April 13-15. The new RUELaudio sound system redefines the way that speakers are made, with a fantastic quality of sound and a beautiful design. “The R+ is our contribution to the music industry, and what we’ve done, and we love doing this... Read More »
2018 AXPONA, April 13, 2018 — The successor to First Watt’s legendary SIT-1 and SIT-2 amplifiers is now going into production. Like them, the new SIT-3 uses a Static Induction Transistor (AKA VFET) in the power stage of a simple no-feedback amplifier. This SIT was uniquely fabricated from Silicon Carbide with the character of a tube Triode – acting more like a... Read More »
SAN FRANCISCO (4/10/18) — Parasound has introduced its Halo JC 5 stereo amplifier that was designed by audio legend John Curl. Delivering a remarkable 400 watts per channel, the Parasound Halo JC 5 distills the essence of two top-of-the-line Halo JC 1 monoblock power amplifiers into a single chassis that is the same size as... Read More »
2018 AXPONA, Aprl 13, 2018 — At Pass Labs we don’t change our products unless we feel that the changes are significant improvements over previous versions. Because of this our typical product life spans are eight to ten years. We are constantly working on and listening to new things and increasing our knowledge of circuits and components... Read More »
AXPONA, April 13, 2018 — Clarus®, the high-end audio cable brand that is a “sister” company to Tributaries A/V cables, is introducing its first-ever line of AC Power Conditioners: Duet, Sextet, Octet and the flagship Clarus Power. These new models represent a complete reevaluation of all possible advanced technologies, high-performance materials and component parts traditionally used in this product category. The Clarus Power Conditioners will be available in four... Read More »
Ballston Spa, NY—April 2018—Luxman America will host two rooms, 580 and 582, at the 2018 AXPONA Show, to be held April 13—15 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center, in Schaumburg, Illinois. Luxman will participate in AXPONA in cooperation with Triangle Loudspeakers. The main demo system will feature: Luxman M900u Power Amplifier Luxman C900u... Read More »
Gang tackling is not usually part of the gameplan around team Positive Feedback, but if you are a fan of phono stages, you will note that I am the fourth reviewer here to get a chance to audition the Gold Note PH-10 (see HERE, HERE, and HERE). As my colleagues have ably pointed out, it... Read More »
Gabriel Mervine's People, Places, and Things. Synergy Records SMCD 80040-2, 80043-2 and 80044-2, CD $12.98 each at Amazon.com Before I can introduce you to Gabriel Mervine, an incredible and ambitious jazz trumpet/flugelhorn player and composer, I have to introduce you to Uncle Don. He's not my uncle, by the way. Don Marsh is Colleen's uncle,... Read More »
John Huxhold and Eric Meyer With this contribution, Positive Feedback adds more to its music review community select contributions from NativeDSD.com's volunteer writers. This review was originally published as part of the "Call for Reviewers" programme initiated by NativeDSD.com. Eight carefully selected DSD listening reviewers have been writing for Blog.NativeDSD.com since late 2017. The focus... Read More »
Pal Szatmari With this contribution, Positive Feedback adds to its music review community select contributions from NativeDSD.com's volunteer writers. This review was originally published as part of the "Call for Reviewers" programme initiated by NativeDSD.com. Eight carefully selected DSD listening reviewers have been writing for Blog.NativeDSD.com since late 2017. The focus of these writers will... Read More »
Cleveland music expert Thomas Mulready has been invited to present his multimedia presentation "An Evening With(out) David Bowie" at the AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) conference in the Chicago area, which takes place April 13 – 15. The Bowie show will be a featured event, as it will take place on the opening evening at 8 p.m. at the Renaissance... Read More »
Will Wonders Never Cease A recurring nightmare haunts my dreams. In the nightmare, some guy named Bill Parish of GTT Audio continually harasses me with phone calls, texts, and emails imploring yours truly to return the Audionet WATT integrated amp that took up residence hear at Casa Jeffries a little over a month ago (and... Read More »
Syracuse, NY, April 5, 2018: Today Benchmark Media Systems, Inc. announced that they will be introducing their new HPA4 headphone/line amplifier at two upcoming trade shows; CanJam Global SoCal, April 7-8, and Axpona Audio Expo, April 13-15. At each show, Benchmark will be conducting personal listening demonstrations. Benchmark partnered with THX Ltd. in order to incorporate the THX... Read More »
Playback Designs has announced their new Dream Series Audio DAC and Transport-SACD/CD/Server system incorporating the latest Ultra High Performance technology. Production versions will be shown at the Axpona show in Chicago and the High End show in Munich. According to Andreas Koch, president and designer of Playback Designs, this system could have been called "Reference"... Read More »
Schaumberg, IL—April 13, 2018: EgglestonWorks, Memphis-based manufacturer of High End loudspeaker systems, will be displaying at 2018 AXPONA, at the Renaissance Schaumberg Hotel and Convention Center, room 614, starting Friday, April 13. Once Again, EgglestonWorks’ will be displaying with Triangle Art and once again, the room will showcase EgglestonWorks’ acclaimed Viginti, their 20th Anniversary speaker... Read More »
IRVINE, CA, April 3, 2018 – The LA Audio Show 2018 - Orange County will be a sumptuous feast for Mind, Body, and Soul. While the Show will feature the finest in high-performance audio gear, it will also offer attendees "food" for the mind, body and soul. Beginning with a special preview June 7, and running through June 10 at the Hilton Irvine/Orange... Read More »
Campfire Audio Announces Exciting New Audiophile Earphones; COMET ($199) and ATLAS ($1299). Stainless Steel Body: Our new stainless steel earphone bodies are drop forged and then CNC machined before being hand polished to a mirror finish. The durability of stainless steel provides peace of mind in daily use. Each earphone is assembled by hand in our workshop... Read More »
Image courtesy of Pear Audio Blue Damnation. Time is sand through the fingers, crap through the goose. Projects pile up, deadlines come and go, and the best intentions of rodents and humans crash and burn. Turntables. Tonearms. Cartridges. LPs. Reissues. New record companies. New pressing plants. A glory of riches, getting better and better over... Read More »
As I mentioned when I introduced myself to this journal, I'm a rookie when it comes to high tech audio equipment—but I'm a fast learner. And l have already learned pretty quickly how deep this rabbit hole goes when one steps into the arena of sound and technology. Now, I'm not one for keepin' up... Read More »
It's good to have our dear friend John Marks back in our pages again. As always, he brings light and insight to music that's worthy of our careful attention. A valuable guide, he! In this essay, he covers the Harmonia Mundi recording of Stile Antico's performance of de Victoria's exploration of the passion of the Christ... Read More »
Exordium I've been a lover of music and audio for as long as I can remember. I didn't really recognize myself as an "audiophile;" but from my first 45 rpm box player in '63, to an all-in-one Sears stereo, followed by a succession of Pioneers, Harman-Kardons, Yamahas, and Kenwoods; I loved gear even then. I... Read More »
Focal introduces Blue, Olive and Purple designs to their Listen Wireless Line to provide Chic options in audio St. Etienne, France. – March 28, 2018 – Focal, a recognized leader on the global stage for high fidelity products, today unveils Listen Wireless Chic, offering three new finishes for their Listen Wireless closed-back headphones. After debuting... Read More »
