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 High-Performance
Audio Gear Reviews,
Music News, Show Reports, Articles & More!
29 Years Of Service To Music
Lovers.
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Crystal Cable Monet Power Cable Review
A very pleasant surprise!
Review By Marshall
Nack
When the Monet power cables from
Crystal Cable were offered for review, the first thing I went online for a
look-see. The photos suggested a slimmed-down cable with no surplus parts,
nothing more than the elemental hardware required for the task at hand. The
Monet is the thinnest power cables in the new Art series and features the
company's latest generation of pure silver conductors. Putting these data points
together — minimum hardware, slim appearance, silver conductors — I jumped
to conclusions and replied back to Gabi Rynveld, founder of Crystal Cable,
"Might they sound a little light-weight?" She assured me,
"Absolutely not! Well, then, bring them on!" I was enthused and so,
about a month or two later, the samples arrived.
--->
Crystal Cable Monet Power Cable Review.
Pass Labs X260.8 Monoblock Amplifier Review
Prestigious power, glorious grace, and terrific transparency.
Review By
Dwayne Carter
Pass Laboratories, Inc., is a name that most audiophiles
utter, after describing a product that comes close to perfection. "XXX
amplifier almost sounds as good as the Pass Labs XXX model". We've
all done it. Fortunately, "as good as" will have to wait. Thanks to the good
people at Pass Laboratories; I get the real thing. As the world was on pause, my
listening room entertained a pair of Pass Labs X260.8 monoblock amplifiers. In full disclosure, I would like to admit that I have been a
fan of Pass Labs products for many years. I've never owned or reviewed any of
their products, so I was looking forward to this delivery.... The Pass Labs X260.8 monoblock amplifiers require two people to
move. I know most amplifier manufacturers recommend this, but this is the first
time I heeded their recommendation. Luckily, my good friend Michael was able to
help me wrestle these beasts into place.
--->
Pass Labs X260.8 Monoblock Amplifier Review.
IASCA And Florida International Audio Expo 2025
The International Auto Sound Challenge Association (IASCA), the longest running global high-end car audio competition organization, is celebrating their special 35th anniversary in 2024. The Florida International Audio Expo (FIAE) has announced an exciting new partnership between three popular car audio entities: IASCA Worldwide, Florida Sound Quality, and SQOLOGY. This will provide an amazing car audio showcase that will include an invitational sound-quality (SQ) competition, demonstrations, and seminars. The 2025 FIAE show will take place February 21st through 23rd at the Sheraton Tampa Brandon
Hotel. Bart Andeer, FIAE's Director of show operations, joined forces with Travis Chin, President of IASCA Worldwide, plus SQ Competitor and Florida Sound Quality community leader Angie Landis and SQOLOGY podcast host and event promoter Klifton Keplinger, to announce this new
partnership.
---> IASCA And Florida International Audio Expo 2025.
Tokyo International Audio Show 2024
The Tokyo International Audio Show 2024 will be held at the Tokyo International Forum from July 26th through 28th. A total of 33 companies are planned to exhibit. Attendees may enjoy the charm of high-performance audio equipment with unique features from over 200 excellent brands from all around the world. Note that admission is by registering for admission on the day you plan on attending. You will be given a pass card in exchange for filling out the admission registration form at the reception desk. Registration begins at 12pm each day. Only those with advance reservations will be admitted in the
morning. High-end audio / audiophile brands will have active stereo
systems setup for attendees, so be sure to bring your favorite music to
the show.
---> Tokyo International Audio Show 2024.
Audio Advice Live In Raleigh August 2nd Through 4th
Audio Advice, founded in 1978 and now have showrooms in Raleigh and Charlotte, is one of the USA's largest home theater, home and portable stereo, headphone, and video / television events open to the
public. Taking place at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Raleigh, NC, attendees can experience many top-of-the-line world-class audio and video gear. As the nation's largest High-End Home Audio & Home Theater Shows, industry experts and audio enthusiasts will enjoy
three days filled with movies, music and fun! With over 60 experience rooms and dedicated home theater rooms, attendees can immerse themselves in music and video like never
before. This three-day event is the nation's largest high-end home audio and home theater show catering to consumers, offering a unique opportunity to meet face-to-face with industry experts and more than 80 of the world's top consumer electronic brands. The event features experience rooms full of top-notch speakers, projectors, electronics, headphones, and audio/video gear from the biggest names in the
industry.
---> Audio Advice Live In Raleigh August 2nd Through 4th.
UK Audio Show 2024 At The Staverton Park Hotel
The UK Audio Show 2024 will be held at the De Vere Staverton Estate, in the Northamptonshire countryside and will take place from October 5th through 6th. During this event you and your family / friends can enjoy the best in high-performance audio sound and see many accessories so your home and travels have a glorious soundtrack. Surrounded by 150 acres of peaceful parkland, De Vere Staverton Estate is a wonderfully stylish retreat within the heart of the Northamptonshire
countryside. The Chester Group's UK Audio Show 2024 will showcase the many pleasures in the special unique luxury of aural art and science within High-End Audio & AV reproduction and
presentation. With its spacious corridors and two easily accessed levels, this event proves a near perfect location for a busy show. Tickets are now on sale so be sure to get your 'Super early bird' prices to save money.
---> UK Audio Show 2024 At The Staverton Park Hotel.
World Premiere Review!
Raven Audio Osprey MK3.1 Integrated Amplifier
And Corvus Reference Monitors Review
Classic designs refined.
Review By Paul Schumann
I grew up
listening to music through my dad's Dynaco ST70. My Dad was a DIY guy; it was
the best kit available in 1960. I inherited it and the matching PAS preamp my
sophomore year of college. I then bought a pair of ADS L620 speakers to go with
them. That kept me happy for 20 years. I eventually replaced my ailing Dynaco
gear with a Jolida JD202 integrated. The Dynaco and Jolida were very similar,
using EL34 pentodes in an ultra-linear configuration. A little later, the ADS
speakers made way for the Thiel CS1.5s. These were both two-way bass-reflex
speakers. In the last few years, my interest in lower-power amps and
high-efficiency speakers has led me away from the pairings I had so long, but I
will always have warm memories of listening to music with them. While attending the inaugural Southwest Audio Fest, I took
an interest in the Raptor horn speakers I heard in the Raven Audio room. About
one week after the show, I reached out to Dave Thompson of Raven to make
arrangements for a review. Dave put me in touch with James Connell.
--->
Raven Audio Osprey MK3.1 Integrated Amplifier And Corvus Reference Monitors Review.
World Premiere Review!
Backert Labs Rhumba Extreme 1.4 Preamplifier Review
An outstanding preamplifier with excellent connectivity for the music lover who desires
more.
Review By Rick Becker
Backert
Labs has seemingly come out of nowhere. Their first review appeared in 2015 and Enjoy
the Music.com reviewed the 1.3 version of the Rhumba Extreme in 2019. This
micro-manufacturer specializes in tube-powered preamplifiers, with a tube phono
stage being a logical extension of their focus. All of their manufacturing and
assembly is done in the USA. I had heard the buzz on the brand only one other
time before my audio buddy, Tom, informed me that he had ordered a Rhumba 1.2 on
US Audiomart that had been upgraded to a 1.3. Listening to his familiar system,
I noticed an impressive improvement. When the 1.4 series was announced I
contacted Andy Tebbe, the President and frontman of the company, and was
promised a premiere review when the design was finalized. I waited, and waited, until finally, I met Andy at the Capital
Audiofest. He explained that Bob Backert, the designer and CEO of this company
kept coming up with incremental improvements that slowed final release.
--->
Backert Labs Rhumba Extreme 1.4 Preamplifier Review.
World Premiere Review!
Class D Audio Mini GaN 3 Amplifier Review
It is a great amplifier at an amazing price!
Review By Paul Schumann
I am a
science teacher by vocation. One of the things I love teaching is the history of
the periodic table. In 1871, Dmitri Mendeleev published his first version of his
periodic table. One of the key features of his table was the blanks he left for
elements that had yet to be discovered. Two of the elements he predicted were
eka aluminum and eka silicon. They were in the spaces directly above Al and Si.
In 1875, eka aluminum was discovered spectroscopically and isolated by the
French chemist Paul-ÉmileLecoq de Boisbaudran. The fact that Mendeleev had
predicted it grabbed the attention of chemists worldwide and paved the way for
the acceptance of his table. Lecoq named the new element gallium. Gallium is cool because it will melt in your hand. But an
even cooler property of gallium is when it is chemically bonded to nitrogen to
make gallium nitride, it can be used to make semiconductors well-suited for
high-power transistors. The use of these GaN transistors in high-end audio has
gained popularity in just the last few years.
--->
Class D Audio Mini GaN 3 Amplifier Review.
North America Premiere Review!
Simaudio MOON 641 Integrated Amplifier And 681 Network Player / DAC Review
Stereo sound system synergy plus MOONLink technology.
Review By Tom Lyle
Last year, I had the pleasure of reviewing MOON's 250i V2 integrated amplifier. Even though its output is "only" 50 Watts per channel, I praised it, concluding, "I felt a connection to the music that passed through this integrated amplifier, as it belied its price." The Simaudio MOON 250i V2 is priced five times less than the integrated amp reviewed here but with a third less output power. The MOON 641 integrated amplifier and the 681 network player/DAC are both part of MOON's NOŘTH Collection. From reading about them on the MOON website, I've learned that they are not simply new audio components but "a testament to MOON's commitment to pushing the envelope of audio technology. They are designed to deliver an unmatched listening experience in clarity and
depth." Simaudio's MOON 641 integrated amplifier features their Distortion-Cancelling Amplifier
(MDCA) technology. It is used exclusively in North Collection components of MOON. This feature has an independent circuit to perform signal correction to lower noise and distortion. The MOON 641's dual-mono configuration "fills the room with rich, immersive
sound."
--->
Simaudio MOON 641 Integrated Amplifier And 681 Network Player / DAC Review.
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