March 2024
Hi-Fi And Music Industry News
Essential high-end audio news you need to know.
Enjoy the Music.com posts audiophile news virtually every day.
Montréal Audiofest 2024 Show
Report
Canada's Montréal Audiofest 2024 Event Coverage
The Salon Audio Montreal Audiofest
2024, scheduled from March 22nd through 24th, will bring together over 5000 visitors who
desire seeing, touching, and listening to over 300 brands of high-performance audio products
all under one roof. As the largest show in Canada, you may experience
the very best audio/video industry manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in Canada.
Within each listening room, exhibitors are elated to share their passion for music with you by demonstrating some of the world's best sound systems from
$5000 to $500,000. Montréal Audiofest is celebrating its 35th edition
in 2024 and remains the must-attend event for audiophiles and music lovers.
---> Montréal Audiofest 2024 Show
Report.
Southwest Audio Fest 2024 Hi-Fi Show Report
SWAF's 2024 high-performance premium audio event coverage.
The Southwest Audio Fest
(SWAF) arises from the partnership of Gary Gill (Capital Audiofest) and Lou Hinkley (Pacific
AudioFest / Daedalus Audio) and their success with the Pacific Audio Fest event, which is destined to be an annual event for high-end audio in the Pacific Northwest serving the entire Pacific
region. We are pleased to announce a new industry-operated show for another underserved part of the
country... the Southwest Audio Fest in Dallas in Texas.
The show promoters worked for over two years to secure a contract with an amazing event hotel,
which is very safe, family friendly, and great weather in March too!
Both Gary Gill and Lou Hinkley are confident that this show will grow and the Anatole has all the room
a premium audio event needs.
---> Southwest Audio Fest 2024 Hi-Fi Show
Report.
Florida International Audio Expo
2024 Show
Report
Florida's Fantastic International Audio Exposition
In Tampa.
The
funtastic Florida International Audio Expo 2024 took place from February 16th through 18th at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Airport Westshore Hotel. Attendees enjoyed their experience on 12 floors' filled with great luxury sound gear produced by the world's leading premium
high-performance audio
brands. As their exciting fifth annual Florida International Audio Expo,
this was the opportunity for audio and music aficionados to discover this sensational
showcase of products that includes home and desktop stereo systems, record
players / turntables, headphones, loudspeakers, digital audio music streamers, Hi-Res Audio DACs, cables, amplifiers and
more!
---> Florida International Audio Expo 2024 Show Report.
The Most Expensive Component
It's not what you think it is but what you think it is.
Article
By Roger Skoff
What
would you say if I told you that the most expensive thing about your system
might not be what you think it is? No, I'm not thinking of your listening room,
although, from a physical standpoint, that might certainly be true, and it might
even be the subject of some future article. It's not your collection of records,
CDs, and master tapes, either, even though that, too, might at one time have
been the case. Instead, for altogether too many people (not you
and I, of course) the most expensive thing about their system is one or more of
the mistaken assumptions they might have made in putting it together. Many years ago I had the opportunity to visit the home of a
wealthy audiophile who had a great love of music and an essentially unlimited
budget for a system to play it on. His entire home was designed around his sound
room, which was HUGE – probably 25 or so feet wide by 40 or 50 feet long, with
a flat ceiling that must have been at least ten or twelve feet high.
---> The Most Expensive Component.
CES, AI, And Your Music
AI's enhanced ingress into our lives is still a few years
away.
Editorial By Alan Sircom
It's been some years since we went to the annual Consumer Electronics Show. Despite missing the winter desert sun in Las Vegas (especially in the UK, where the sun disappears around mid-November only to return some time in April), Las Vegas had become a busted flush for high-end (or
'specialty') audio. Some audio brands still attend the event, but the relevance of the show waned for the audio world in the 2010s, and by the later part of the decade it had become unsustainable for
audio. As the name changed from the Consumer Electronics Association to the Consumer Technology Association in 2015, so the CES subtly changed emphasis, moving increasingly toward wearable tech, health tech, and most recently Artificial
Intelligence. While embedded AI in consumer goods is still something of a novelty (who really needs an AI-enhanced kettle?), it's set to dominate the consumer electronics market. And, it's likely to do so fast. Although high-end audio no longer attends the show, that doesn't mean it is immune to the same market forces. AI is coming to your audio system! Get used to the idea.
---> CES, AI, And Your Music.
Meeting The Standards
UWB high-resolution low-latency audio interface.
Editorial By J. Martins
Audio professionals working in product development, design, manufacturing, and system implementation always meet new challenges as technologies change and evolve. In professional or consumer applications, digital audio signals are being carried using a number of different platforms, technologies, and digital protocols, creating a complexity that no single company in the test and measurement (T&M) field is able to address on its own. Increasingly, T&M companies specific to the audio industry are being forced to focus on one specific angle (e.g., electronics product design, acoustic measurements, production line testing,
etc.). On the software front, things look a bit more dynamic, with the availability of solutions that are more or less able to react quickly to new industry demands.
---> From The Editor's Desk: Meeting The
Standards.
Avantgarde Acoustic UNO SD Hornspeaker Review
The luckiest I've ever felt was when reviewing the UNO SD speakers.
Review By Tom Lyle
In the mid to late 1990s, I heard
a pair of Avantgarde Acoustic horn loudspeakers (hornspeaker) for the first time at a local high-end audio
showroom. I don’t remember the model of the speakers I was hearing, but I do
recall that they were powered by a pair of Single-Ended Triode (SET) monoblock
amplifiers. I assumed that these amps were a perfect match for these sensitive
speakers. Sadly, I was not impressed with what I heard that day. The
speaker's biggest sin was an exaggerated midrange, epitomizing the "cupped
hands" sound. Fast-forward to 2024, when I was offered a pair of Avantgarde
UNO SDs for review in Enjoy the Music.com. I was skeptical, fearing I
would experience something similar to what I had heard at that local dealer many
years ago. Before these speakers arrived, I shared my experience with
Avantgarde's North American distributor, American Sound of Canada, about my
experience with their horn speakers.
--->
Avantgarde Acoustic UNO SD Hornspeaker Review.
World Premiere Review!
AGD DUET GaN-Power Monoblock Amplifier
Review
Defining your artistic sensibilities.
Review By Dr. Michael Bump
Professional musicians have a first love, and it's usually not
their mother or high school sweetheart, but rather the instruments they surround
themselves with throughout their lives. Sometimes this serves a nostalgic
purpose, though in most cases, it is because the instrument's sound defines them
(The Harry Potter analogy of "the wand chooses you" comes to mind). Theirs is a
uniquely personal relationship. We all identify John "Bonzo" Bonham through his
style of drumming and the sound of his Ludwig drum kit. The size, tuning, shell
material, cymbals, use of timpani, etc. were his calling card, inspiring his
touch / gesture, helping define him, and in turn, helping define Led Zeppelin. For
almost his entire career, Pablo Casals performed on but a single instrument –
a cello crafted around 1700 by the Venetian luthier, Matteo Gofriller. And of
course, who can imagine listening to Willy Nelson's music without the voice of "Trigger,"
his faithful Martin N-20 nylon-string guitar, on which he's been performing and
recording for over 55 years.
--->
AGD DUET GaN-Power Monoblock Amplifier Review.
Eminent Technology LFT8c Loudspeaker Review
Dipole done well.
Review By Jules Coleman
If you are not familiar with Bruce Thigpen,
it's time you were. Bruce has been among the more creative and innovative designers in the audio industry over the past forty years. He began his career by working on what was to become the Infinity turntable, which he followed with the classic and much-admired ET 2 linear tracking tonearm (parts and updates are still available for the model 1, ET-2 and ET- 2.5), before turning his attention to magnetic planar loudspeakers. Beginning with the full-range planar LFT3, he ultimately shifted focus to hybrid designs featuring planar mid and high-frequency drivers mated with traditional cone drivers to handle the lower frequencies. The shift in focus led to the development of the LFT-8 introduced in 1989 and then widely distributed beginning in 1990, the transformative version of which, LFT-8c, is the subject of this
review.
--->
Eminent Technology LFT8c Loudspeaker Review.
Vinshine Audio Denafrips Arce Hi-Res Music
Streamer Review
Streams music without obstructions or interfering with your favorite tunes.
Review By Neven Kos Of HiFiMedia
After Alvin Chee, the owner of the company
Vinshine Audio,
searched for the past year and a half on his YouTube channel for the best
streamer for Denafrips D/A converters, Denafrips introduced its music streamer
called Arce (twin sister of the rainbow goddess Iris in Greek mythology). The
primary focus in the design of this streamer was the quality of playback, so at
Denafrips they developed their computer platform instead of resorting to
existing ones, such as PC platform, Raspberry Pi, or something else already
existing. The computer part of the streamer is based on the Quad-Core
ARM Cortex processor, high-precision oscillators, and a power supply built after
the 60VA toroidal transformer. There are also low-noise and fast linear
regulators, and unlike many others that resort to existing and available
solutions or use standard computer solutions and operating systems, Denafrips
has also developed its operating system optimized precisely for music playback.
--->
Vinshine Audio Denafrips Arce Hi-Res Music Streamer Review.
Phillips Design OH-16 Omnidirectional
Loudspeaker Review
Giving you all the music you love.
Review By Dwayne Carter
Phillips
Design made a bit of a splash at AXPONA in April of 2023, with their inaugural
display of the Phillips Design OH-16 Omnidirectional three-way loudspeakers.
Unable to attend AXPONA 2023; I was more than pleased with the opportunity to
review a pair. These stylish loudspeakers arrived via freight, in a crate much
larger than anticipated. Receiving a well-traveled demo pair, it is unknown
whether standard production (consumer) speakers will be shipped the same way. Once unlocked, the crate door swings out to reveal both
speakers. While well-designed, it still required two people to maneuver the
speakers from the crate. Weighing 78 lbs each; while not extremely heavy, the
round speakers require careful handling. With wood (usually teak) slats towards
the top, and the 12" carbon fiber composite cone located on the bottom;
careful handling is a must. Once in place in the Audio Room (thanks for the
help, Timmy), the protective cloth covers were removed to reveal the speakers. To say the Phillips Design OH-16 omnidirectional three-way
loudspeakers are unique would be an understatement.
--->
Phillips Design OH-16 Omnidirectional Loudspeaker Review.
Børresen X2 Floorstanding Loudspeakers Review
Fantastic-sounding sleek speakers.
Review By Tom Lyle
The Børresen X2 is the smallest
speaker in Børresen's X-Series. Even though it is Børresen's smallest speaker
in that line, it is a floorstanding speaker 3.5 feet tall and weighs 80 pounds.
Børresen's website calls the X2 intro-level speaker. At $8,800 a pair,
whether one considers this price entry-level is debatable, but everything is
relative – compared with the other speakers in Børresen's X-series, the X2 is
reasonably priced. And as you'll read in this review (spoiler alert!), I
have nothing but praise for the Børresen X2. After unpacking the X2s, I discovered that this slim, stylish
2.5-way floorstanding speaker had quite a small footprint. Viewed from above,
the speakers are more or less triangular. The X2's front baffle is about one
foot wide, but its cabinet narrows as it reaches its rear panel, which is a mere
one inch wide. This narrow rear panel appears slightly wider at points to
allow for the speaker's ports, three round cylinders near the top of its
cabinet, and three near the bottom. At first glance, I thought that the ports
resembled exhaust pipes!
--->
Børresen X2 Floorstanding Loudspeakers Review.
FiiO R9 Flagship Music Player, Streamer, Headphone Amplifier, And Hi-Res Lossless DAC Review
May the Cube be with you.
Review By Paul Schumann
I've been having a bit of an existential crisis the last
couple of years over one basic question: Am I a Luddite? As a young man who grew
up with a dad who worked for IBM, I felt I was always willing to embrace new
promising technologies. During the late 1970s, we had a prototype for a home
computer for a few months. If you wanted to do anything with it you had to
program it yourself. In my senior year of high school, I built a Heathkit
digital stopwatch to time my friends at track meets. In 1986 I bought a second-gen
CD player when you could still find only a handful of CDs in the record store.
At the same time, however, I stubbornly hung on to the Dynaco stuff I was using.
Why? Because nothing I was listening to in the audio stores
sounded nearly as good. Well, there was the Conrad Johnson and Audio Research
gear, but it was out of my price range. But it seems that through most of my
adult life, I've straddled the divide between "they don't make them like they
used to" and "new and improved".
--->
FiiO R9 Flagship Music Player, Streamer, Headphone Amplifier, And Hi-Res Lossless DAC
Review.
Enjoy the Music.com Sponsors Montréal Audiofest
2024 Exhibitor / Press Party
Enjoy the Music.com, high-performance audio's
long-celebrated online
publication
for 29 years and a leader in providing industry news, high-end audio reviews, and
luxury show reports, is pleased to announce for the third year in a row we're sponsoring
Montréal Audiofest's Saturday evening Exhibitor / Press Party. We invite exhibitors and members of the press to join
us for delectable drinks, marvelous music, and friendly fun! The Salon Audio Montreal Audiofest
2024, scheduled from March 22nd through 24th, will bring together over 5000 visitors who
desire to see, touch, and listen to over 300 brands of high-performance audio products
all under one roof. As the largest show in Canada, you may experience
the very best audio/video industry manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in Canada.
Within each listening room, exhibitors are elated to share their passion for music with you by demonstrating some of the world's best sound systems from
$5000 to $500,000.
--->
Enjoy the Music.com Sponsors Montréal Audiofest 2024 Exhibitor / Press
Party.
Enjoy the Music.com Sponsors
The Southwest Audio Fest 2024
Enjoy the Music.com, premium audio's celebrated online site since 1995 and a leader in providing over 25 years of industry news, thousands of gear reviews, and more than 280 show reports, is pleased to announce we're sponsoring the inaugural Southwest Audio Fest 2024 in Dallas. We're sponsoring the SWAF's Thursday night 'Happy Hour' before the event opens to the public. Scheduled to take place from March 15th through 17th at the Hilton / Anatole in Dallas, Texas, exhibitors and members of the press are invited to join us for food, drinks, and live music.
Enjoy the Music.com looks forward to seeing you there! For over 29 years, Enjoy the Music.com's ongoing
efforts and resources have benefited both the consumer electronics industry and
music lovers by providing leading information
concerning luxury high-performance audio and premium high-fidelity equipment via
the internet. We are deeply honored for the opportunity to support the very
first Southwest Audio Fest event, and in teaming up to benefit both the high-end
audio industry and audiophiles.
--->
Enjoy the Music.com Sponsors The Southwest Audio Fest 2024.
The Intro
Editorial By Art Dudley
Recently I received some new CD re-issues from JVC who have begun applying their very nice XRCD process to the RCA Victor catalog of classical recordings from the 1950s and
1960s. Among this batch was a personal favorite: Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony orchestra performing Beethoven's
Symphony No.7. I enjoy this one the most of all the Sevenths in my collection, and the fact that my copy is a mono LP isn't something I ever gave all that much thought to. In fact, until someone corrected me on the point, I half assumed that LM-1991 might be one of those recordings in the RCA catalog that never came out in stereo in the first place.
(I am not the sort of record collector who concerns himself with such details, although I am often thankful for the knowledge of those who
are.) I also remember thinking that a stereo version of this LP, with that big, gaudy LIVING STEREO banner across the top, must surely suffer by comparison in terms of its cover art, which is
Botticelli's La Primavera, reproduced on a sturdy fold-over sleeve the likes of which I haven't seen on any other
record.
---> The Intro Editorial By Art Dudley.
Triode Connected Pentodes
Article By Herb Reichert of Eddy Electronic Inc.
Back in 1955, some of the big audio
issues were: Which provides higher fidelity, triodes or pentodes? Feedback or no feedback?
Active or passive? Solid core or stranded wire? Does this all sound familiar? It was in this climate that
D.T. Williamson's amp arrived. The old guard believed that there was no substitute for 2A3s push-pull. But
the hot issue in the audio mags was high power. High power back then was only 20-30
Watts, but it was thought that the extra
headroom contributed to a sense of effortlessness. The Williamson amp tried to be both. Triode connected KT-66s gave this amp the low-distortion loadline of triodes with some of the gain and efficiency
of beam power tubes. This circuit and its siblings became the most popular tube amps of all time. It
also created the most popular tube modification of all time: triode connecting
multi-grid power
output tubes.
---> Triode Connected Pentodes.
Altec Alternatives
Article By Dan Schmalle
This month we hope to hear some vintage loudspeakers. Once again Eric will
generously give us a glimpse and a listen from his fast growing collection. A pair of Altec
-- Lansing A7
"Voice of the
Theatre" loudspeakers and their domestic counterpart, the Altec Corona, will visit our
listening room. As of this writing one crossover is misbehaving, so our demo may be mono, but
interesting nonetheless. The A7 (pictured here) is the smallest of a line of loudspeakers Altec produced for use in
theatres, auditoriums and studios. It consists of a low frequency driver, type 803A, coupled to a short horn and rear
loaded to a "bass reflex" enclosure. This is crossed over through a type 800E 800Hz
crossover to a type 802 high frequency driver connected to a type 811 B multi-cellular horn
baffle, which spreads the high frequencies horizontally over a 120 degree arc (and about 40
degrees vertically). The high frequency driver sits on top of the dark gray bass
enclosure.
---> Altec Alternatives Article By Dan Schmalle.
Avantgarde Acoustic Duo XD Hornspeaker
Review
Blow Up! – With the Duo XD, Avantgarde Acoustic shows what horn technology and a perfectly matched active woofers... are able to do to the sound.
Review By Matthias Böde
Yes, you have read the measurement results
from our lab correctly (in case you checked them): For 94 decibels of sound
pressure at a distance of one meter, this speaker needs just 0.07 Watts of
power. Seven Watts would be somewhat normal, 0.7 Watts already a sensation –
but 0.07 Watts reads like a typo. It is completely true though! This is made
possible by the large horn at the top end of the Duo XD, coming from the
specialist Avantgarde Acoustic, based in a small town in the Odenwald mountain
range in southwestern Germany. This horn is connected directly to the amplifier
without any intermediate crossover and visually symbolizes the phenomenal
efficiency with its huge opening of 67 centimeters.
--->
Avantgarde Acoustic Duo XD hornspeaker Review.
Gryphon Audio Essence Preamplifier
And Essence Stereo Power Amplifier Review
Blown away by an amazing musical performance!
Review By Tom Lyle
The
Gryphon Essence preamplifier and Gryphon Stereo power amplifier are gorgeous
looking and beautiful sounding Danish high-end audio components. Those who can
afford either or both of these components will not only enjoy stellar sound
quality but most likely will also be able to enjoy the fact that they are the
epitome of audio equipment that has a look and "feel" of luxury goods. Gryphon
founder Flemming E. Rasmussen was responsible for the stunningly beautiful
exterior of the rather large (and heavy!) Gryphon Essence preamplifier and
Stereo Essence power amplifier. Good looks and operational refinement are
especially true of the Gryphon Essence preamplifier. Its weighty
infrared metal remote was only one indication of this Danish audio manufacturer's
recognition of many audiophile's appreciation of the intangibles that are
available on many preamps.
--->
Gryphon Audio Essence preamplifier & Essence Amplifier Review.
Ampsandsound Kenzie OG Rev 2 Headamp Review
A new spin on an old friend.
Review By Gary Alan Barker
I have made it no secret that I am a huge tube fan. I have also made no secret of
my love of ampsandsound amplifiers. The reason is that Justin Weber is one of
the few designers of his generation that gets what tube amps are all about and
almost more importantly, knows what music is supposed to sound like. What tubes
are all about is musicality, and in this context, musicality means dynamic,
open, natural-sounding, clear, resolute, linear, organic sound without the added
hard edge produced by solid-state amplification. (I have stressed this often,
but what tubes are not about is rolled off highs, anemic bass, and supposed
pleasantness of high THD as is the misconception of modern non-audiophile
engineers.) So it was with no little excitement that I greeted the news that I
would be given the opportunity to review the newest revision of the amp that
started it all.
---> Ampsandsound Kenzie OG Rev 2 Headamp
Review.
Rotel
A12 MKII Integrated Amplifier Review
Is the Rotel A12 MKII the ideal amplifier to build a $3000 stereo system around with
two great sources?
Review By Ian White
Have you ever been listening to your system and the lights go out?
It's not a good feeling because there is always the risk that when the power comes back on that something will be amiss.
I've used power line conditioners for almost 20 years but our experience with Hurricane Sandy here on the Shore was not a good
one. My wife thinks that I missed my calling as a Weather Channel talking head because
I'd scare the living crap out of everyone with my forecasts, but I had a bad feeling about Sandy with our home only blocks from the ocean and so many trees surrounding our
property. We didn't tell anyone that we were expecting our third child (Jewish custom is to wait
three months) at the time so it was on me to get the house ready and get anything of value out the way and on really high shelving in our
garage.
---> Rotel
A12 MKII Integrated Amplifier
Review.
Pass Laboratories XP-22 Line Pre & XP-27 Phono
Pre Review
Colossal soundstage and the pinpoint imagining prowess!
Review By
Tom Lyle
I began to assemble my first "real" audio system while still in high
school. I made it chiefly from DIY components and other "vintage" gear
I could scrounge from friends and family. At that time, I don't think I heard
anyone use the term "audiophile." All I knew was that I wanted to hear
music at home on a better system than the mass-market stuff sold at department
stores. This was also about the same time I discovered a
high-end audio showroom near my parent's suburban home. Every once in a while, I
would quietly enter their store. There was no way I would have been able to sit
in the comfy chair in front of one of the active displays and listen to a
system. But I did walk among the array of components on display, and when no one
was looking, turn the knobs up and down and flip the switches on the front
panels of a component or two while it was muted or its power was off.
--->
Pass Labs XP-22 Line Pre & XP-27 Phono Preamplifier Review.
Ayon
Audio CD-35 II CD Player And USA Labs RS9 Music
Server Review
Two very versatile, and impressive, performers.
Review By Bob Grossman
The Ayon Audio CD-35 II as reviewed here, is the latest introduction to a long lineage of CD players that have
been well regarded going back to the various models in the 3 and 5 series, along
with ideas derived from their special edition CD35HF. But the CD-35 II is more
than a CD player – it is also a fully functioning preamplifier and DAC. It is
a single-ended triode pure Class A design using a 6H30 and a 5687 tube for each
channel, and a GZ30 tube as a rectifier for the power supply. It is also a zero-feedback
design. Ayon Audio's CD-35 II built-in DAC can be used to play music files
from your computer via the USB connection. The DAC also has a coaxial RCA input
for S/PDIF, I2S, BNC, AES/EBU, and three other BNC inputs for DSD. For this
review I also evaluated the USA Labs RS9 music server to coordinate streaming of music
from Qobuz.
--->
Ayon CD-35 II CD Player And USA Labs RS9 Music Server Review.
AGD "The Audion" GaNTube
Monoblocks Review
Class D reaches the upper echelon of high-end audio.
Review By Rick Becker
Back
at the turn of the millennium you could put together a pretty good audio system
for $10,000, and you could listen to many of those components in a local brick
& mortar store if you lived in a decent size city. Sure there was some
stratospherically priced gear in the $10,000 to $20,000 range you might
be able to see if you went to one of the audio shows on the left or right
coasts. Then along came "quantitative easing" and the internet. Gear got more
expensive, the brick & mortar landscape eroded and major as well as regional
audio shows proliferated. Eventually, higher prices seemed to have attracted
more well-heeled patrons to the hobby, not unlike what happened to the bicycle
industry a generation or two earlier.
--->
AGD "The Audion" GaNTube Monoblocks Review.
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Great Audiophile Gift 2023
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