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'twas the year of our Lord twothousandandfive, when I had the very first opportunity to audition and opine about Zu's Druid loudspeakers following a local tube show in the valley of the angels. Many a historic composite has been penned about Zu; suffice is to say that back then—if you could make such bold historic... Read More »

I have owned several iterations of REL subwoofers over the years. Either as a single unit or in pairs. My first was the Stentor III at 133 lbs, 300 RMS per channel, a single 10 inch downward firing woofer and a MSRP of $5K. I then upgraded to the Studio III which was the top... Read More »

Alexia. Everyone wants to know Alexia. Everyone wants to have Alexia. She's the femme fatale who has you wrapped up in dreams of being James Bond on a super secret mission to save the world. She's the supercar that turns on a dime, that lurches forward with every step on the gas pedal; she jumps... Read More »

The Theory One day when looking closely at a copy of the Beatles' first mono single, "Love Me Do" (a replica, sadly), I had an epiphany. You see, my vision is in the extreme nearsighted range, which is mostly a curse but also a blessing because my eyes are like microscopes. The average human eye... Read More »

As I learned at the recent 2104 New York Audio Show, there is no lack of absurd loudspeaker designs executed with all sorts of wacky and expensive materials. While this year's blessed event was not as off-the-charts as prior shows in regard to loudspeakers that look like they were built by aliens with auditory requirements... Read More »

John (Fritz) Heiler has been designing his Fritz Speakers loudspeakers for over thirty years. His credo is always consistent: He uses the same premium parts as speakers costing much more, and works hard to make affordable speakers that deliver exceptional sound. I've met Fritz many times over the years. He's a really likable, down-to-earth guy,... Read More »

English translation of original German text from HiFi Statement "Oh, those are cute!" I'm actually not used to hearing such statements from my better half; at least not regarding hi-fi. For me at least, the Chiara design actually seemed more like an american stealth jet. First impressions aside, this loudspeaker truly represents more than meets... Read More »

This is a ground breaking review in more ways than one. To start with, this is the first Magico S5 speaker review using only analog recorded material. More to the point, it's my first review using the extraordinary VPI Classic Direct turntable and 12-inch 3D printed arm (geez reviewing might have been so much easier... Read More »

When I saw the promotional material announcing this book project from The Absolute Sound and learned that it was first going to be available in limited, numbered copies at CES 2014, I was distraught. For the first time in 15 years, circumstances prevented me from attending the 2014 annual industry event. That meant that not only was... Read More »

Plowing Back To Go Forward Long ago I spent considerable time with the Audience design team listening, on multiple occasions; to the development of a multi-driver speaker creation intended to take-no-prisoners and drops a proverbial wake-up bomb on the audiophile world. Those were whopping good sessions of superior fellow-feeling that allowed several chaps with disparate... Read More »

In a large, superbly designed and printed book titled The Absolute Sound's Illustrated History of High-End Audio dedicated to loudspeakers, we will not find a single word on the company Albedo (Robert Harley and others, The Absolute Sound's Illustrated History of High-End Audio, Austin 2013). And it's no wonder—among the distinguished pioneers and veterans of the loudspeaker industry... Read More »

Tonsil, a former giant and the largest manufacturer of drivers and loudspeakers in this part of Europe, located in the Polish town of Wrzesnia, has recently published information about a photo contest featuring speakers from this company. The winning photos showed older but no less interesting designs, meticulously restored, kept alive and—most importantly—still being used.... Read More »

The loudspeaker survey that I started a year ago culminates with the Gauder Akustik Berlina RC7. (Gauder Akustik formerly known as Isophon). These are rather interesting—and clearly different than the other loudspeakers I have written about in the survey—in that their 'tear-dropped' (or perhaps winged) shaped cabinet is composed of stacked 'layers' of ribs made... Read More »

Bay Audio is a small company based in Poway, CA, approximately twenty-five minutes from downtown San Diego. They are not your usual high end audio company churning out box speakers, and fancy components with lavish faceplates. No, they mine a far more interesting area that was relatively new to me when I was contacted with... Read More »

As an Indiana native and dyed-in-the-wool audio nut, I am proud to introduce a new product from Indiana speaker manufacturer Bamberg Audio. Located in Fishers (Indianapolis), Philip Bamberg quietly builds high-end loudspeakers. Mr. Bamberg has degrees in Mechanical and Electrical engineering and after having worked for several well-known audio companies, he set out to bring his no-nonsense,... Read More »

Background You always remember your first love. In my case, at least audio-wise, that was with a pair of Magnepan 3.3's. I was struck by the way the sound filled the listening room—it sounded like the entire wall was radiating sound. Not just any sound, but crystal-clear sound. I still remember the way the highs... Read More »