I enjoy a good challenge. Whenever a cable review comes my way, I accept wholeheartedly knowing that it will be quite the adventure. I say this because reviewing cables comes with quite the controversy. People seem to have an open mind when it comes to devices with circuitry with respect to a review, maybe because... Read More »
"It doesn't look like it could change shape," Joseph observed after a long pause to process the behemoth power cable resting on my carpet. That would be the Proteus, the latest from Stage III Concepts, the audio wire manufacturer. Proteus was an ancient Greek sea god capable of assuming different forms. Yeah, it definitely looks... Read More »
The other day a friend of mine with keen ears, though not an audiophile, walked into my living room system and said "Hmmm… you changed something, I am hearing much more bass, more dynamic slam and less sizzle on top." Well then. Me, somewhat stumped as I was scratching my head trying to think of... Read More »
You know how one thing leads to another. Since I am a huge fan of CH Precision, having acquired a whole system of their components, when I found out they market audio cables, I soon reviewed their Reference line (HERE). Once again, I was taken and acquired the demo set. Turns out the CH cables... Read More »
What do you cleverly call a company that has at its core value the maximum extraction of auditory information from any given signal? LessLoss. Get it? Less Loss. Having written and opined about Louis Motek's (full name Liudas Motekaitis) ingenious designs many times over the past ten, fifteen years, I have come to realize that in... Read More »
Trigger warning: This article claims that power cables can change the sound of an audio system. To me, a review of AudioQuest power products is necessarily an article about their designer, Garth Powell. I wish everybody who is considering a Niagara power conditioner or Storm Series power cables (and more so people who think it's... Read More »
The information regarding the design of the Siltech Triple Crown Power AC Cable provided by Siltech seem to be simple and few: Unique 7 heavy core S8 mono crystal silver conductors, Stabilized air core insulation, Spatial balanced for perfect EMC canceling behavior over an extreme frequency range, Ultra-stable operation even under high current demand, Bending the... Read More »
Meeting #109: Crystal Cable's The Ultimate Dream power cable and Siltech's Triple Crown power cable One of the most pleasant things about the job that I do—let me remind you, I am a specialist journalist who deals with the aspects of high-quality audio—is contact with people who share my passion for music and its best possible reproduction.... Read More »
The Stein Music Powerbar 10 Signature (US version) With a track record of doing the amazing and, occasionally, the impossible, Stein Music of Germany introduces a power distribution system that works effectively and elegantly in the most sophisticated systems. Holger Stein, Chief Engineer and CEO, is both an electrical engineer and physicist and has... Read More »
One Monday night at Carnegie Hall, we found ourselves in the second row orchestra, way over on the right, in front of and looking up at the double basses (our eyes were level with the stage). When you purchase discount tickets, you take what they give you and don't complain. Obviously, the sound was problematic.... Read More »
Acoustic Revive was founded in Japan in 1997 by Mr. Ken Ishiguro, who is the design genius behind the innovative and ultra-quality Acoustic Revive products. Like many hi-fi enthusiasts, Ken-san's interest in audio arose through his love for music as a youngster. Ken-san told me, "I was listening to the Beatles when I was fourteen... Read More »
There is a new player in town... Triode Wire Labs. When Dave Clark extols enthusiastic praise about a particular product line, I sit up and take notice (his review can be found HERE and another by Steve Kozle HERE). After reading his review, I just happened to casually glance at the MSRP's and that greatly inspired me to read... Read More »
It was clear from the very beginning that the Harmonix X-DC Studio Master Million Maestro power cable was a highly limited product, so it was intended for a small group of customers. Its price only this sealed this exclusivity. I envy the lucky ones who have it in their systems—it is the best power cable, I... Read More »
So I have already touched on the AC cords from Triode Wire Labs in my review of the PS Audio BHK preamplifier and DirectStream DAC (as did Steve Kozle way back in Issue 61 HERE in his review of the TWL cords), and yeah, these are the real deal. What they do is pretty much take... Read More »
As an engineer, I find it very gratifying when I review products that apply science to great success in delivering outstanding sound—a difference you can readily hear, provided the overall system can resolve high quality audio. Furutech has been in pursuit of such scientific application to sound reproduction. Their NanoFlux Speaker Cables, NanoFlux Power Cables,... Read More »
You know how you can tell in 10 seconds if a component has it? Alas, it doesn't happen all that often—the good ones are few and far between. Just like the players in this industry—those who know real sound are few and far between. Most think it is synonymous with the Audiophile Report Card, the... Read More »
And, now, a quick audiophile word association game. What comes to mind when you read the following? Belt drive turntables Quad DSD Marantz Model 9 Electrostatic loudspeakers High End Cables If you're like me, all of those items produced definite responses, most likely shaped by plenty of articles and opinions like the one you're about... Read More »
An importer/distributor I know has taken to calling me "the stalwart reviewer." At first we both laughed, although I wasn't sure what he meant. On reflection, I decided I should be flattered. One of the benefits of longevity is you get the long view, the evolutionary perspective, which can be especially satisfying when a brand's... Read More »
It seems that High Fidelity was one of the first magazines in the world, and surely outside Japan, that received Acoustic Revive cables based on PC-Triple C copper and published such a review (No. 126, October 1st 2014). The Japanese magazine Audio Accessory, printed their review a month before us in their September issue, dedicated... Read More »