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IntegrityHiFi - The Steel Trinity! Tru-Lift, Tru-Sweep, and Tru-Kleen. They say good things and bad things come in threes. What is it about that number? Well historically the number three has come to represent the holy trinity in many religions. It is also called the number of man, because the human being is comprised of a body, a... Read More »

I had not yet drunk the Kool-Aid—I was more of a doubting Thomas—when the package arrived. My West Coast editor advised me, "Just swap out the one you have, plug this one in, give it the requisite 50 hours, and then take a sip," or something to that effect.  In the box was a new... Read More »

Nordost is a company that was set up in 1991 by Joe Reynolds. It specializes in manufacturing audio cables. Apart from cables, the company also offers products from the QRT series used to supply power to devices and eliminate RF, as well as electromagnetic interference. "A power supply seems to be one of the most... Read More »

In a high performance / high resolution audio system everything matters. Every link in the chain needs to be optimized to the greatest extent possible, including cabling and connections. Good power and signal connections require quality connectors. n my experience, connector quality is a significant contributor to good cable performance. Connection points can be sources... Read More »

The telltale sign that everything was right—better-than-right—appeared when I set my CH Precision M1.1 monoblocks to produce a flat response, meaning bass, mids, and treble were output in equal measure, just as they were designed to do at the factory. Previously, I had found it necessary to boost the mids (or lower the treble) to... Read More »

Back in July 2019, after completing the original review of the SVS SB-3000 subwoofer (HERE), I took the subs out of my system. It took just minutes to determine there was no way I was going to send them back to the SVS folks in Ohio. They transformed my system into something special, and I... Read More »

I do endless cable comparisons. Along the way, I learned it was not a good idea to leave unused cables dangling from the preamp. We all know the cable then acts like an antennae to attract air-borne electrical gremlins. So I developed a routine: before sitting down for serious note taking (although not always for... Read More »

So this is the time of year for returning unwanted gifts, breaking resolutions, and picking up a few Steel Band CDs in the Caribbean. It's also a time to reflect on past accomplishments and give credit where credit is due. I'm a very part-time reviewer here, and didn't offer up any PF Writers Choice awards... Read More »

What the Hell is That It's no secret that I like to tweak. In fact, I made a name for myself and built a huge following in my early writing career writing about such minutiae. My third paid audio writing gig (after folding the audio analyst© that I had founded in 1988), saw me at... Read More »

Any analog lover will be the first to tell you, vinyl is a commitment. From record cleaning, to storage, to outer and inner sleeves, to dust removal methods and tools, the simple act of spinning records isn't so simple, but rather a very deliberate set of steps designed to optimize playback and extend the life... Read More »

Back when I moved last year into a home with a larger dedicated listening room, I wanted to spruce things up a bit and get some real cable elevators. I've had some in the past that were DIY style, and they worked, but weren't all that aesthetically pleasing. They did the job nonetheless, but it... Read More »

When the opportunity came up to review the new Magneplanar LRS (Little Ribbon Speakers), even though I had thirty-plus years of experience with Maggies, I viewed the review possibility as something of a lark. Yes, there was a lot of buzz about the LRS, and yes, I was really pretty stoked to hear the latest... Read More »

Apportioning budget to a high-end audio system represents a complex exercise, one inherently fraught with compromises, and one for which there is no hard-and-fast formula. Recognizing that loudspeakers generally have the greatest influence on the sound of a given system, does one allocate a more significant portion of his or her budget to speakers? Or,... Read More »

After so many years reviewing audio equipment there are a few things that stand out. One is that the better the AC any component is seeing, the better the music comes across—and that is in terms of both musicality and overall sonics. Cleaner is better. Stable is better. Less crap is better. Better is better.... Read More »

I've had a really good relationship with Norman Varney from AV RoomService for a couple of years now; his company manufactures a variety of products that are aimed at reducing airborne and other vibrational noises in your listening room. He also is heavily involved in custom listening and audiovisual room design and construction; his level... Read More »

In the beginning I was the tweakaholic. I spent much time fooling around with and writing about all manner of audio accessories, searching for the sonic Band-Aid that would repair my sound. It wasn't what I wanted—actually, I wasn't sure what I wanted—and these devices always delivered something. I wore the moniker like a badge... Read More »

I don't suppose I'm alone in admiring those who can really work with their hands. Years ago, while serving a semester-long sentence in woodshop, I envied my pals who could cut, glue, plane, and sand mundane articles like planters and bowls into magnificent works of craftsmanship. Not being able to do any of this, I... Read More »

I am sometimes ashamed of how little we know about audio, how little we understand about it. We fly to the Moon, we are getting ready to fly to Mars, we have quite good knowledge of how the universe is changing and what its structure is, we have found thousands of planets that are similar... Read More »

Yes, V-TEE-I. That is not a typo. VTI is not from New Jersey; they don't make turntables (although they support them nicely); as far as I know, the initials stand for something other than Virgo Taurus Industries. Actually, I had never heard of them until recently, myself. I was mulling the prospect of replacing my... Read More »