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High-End Audio / Audiophile
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October
2023
Enjoy the Music.com Sponsors Capital Audiofest
2023
Enjoy the Music.com,
premium audio's celebrated online site since 1995 and a leader in providing over
24 years of industry news, thousands of gear reviews, and more than 280 show reports, is pleased to announce that
for the second year in a row, we're sponsoring the Capital
Audiofest's Thursday night 'Happy Hour' before the event opens to the public. Scheduled to take place from November 10th through 12th
at the Twinbrook Hilton in Rockville (Maryland), vendors and members of the press may join us for complimentary pizza and craft beer on Thursday night.
Enjoy the Music.com loves luxurious premium high-end audio, and so we're inviting both exhibitors and members of the press to join us from
6 PM through 8 PM at the Rockville Pike – Craft Beer and Fine Wine, which is located next door to the Hilton Hotel. We look forward to seeing you
there!
--->
Enjoy the Music.com Sponsors Capital Audiofest 2023.
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.
Do You Really Need To Buy A Bugatti?
How expensive our hobby doesn't need to be.
Article
By Roger Skoff
As I understand it,
Bugatti's latest-model car costs something like $4,500,000, goes well over 200 miles (320kM) per hour, and costs – at least the earlier Veyron model did – about $23,000 just for one of its regularly scheduled oil
changes. I might be wrong, though; I haven't done any serious Bugatti shopping lately, and I
don't ever intend to. I did, once have a super exotic car, though – a 1953 Siata factory team race car that had been built for that
year's Targa Florio road race. I was just a kid, then, no more than about nineteen years old, and, frankly, although something more practical would certainly have been a far better choice, I
didn't know any better. The car was extremely beautiful, very fast, and VERY prestigious: Everywhere I drove it, it was the center of attention, and I could enjoy the hope that, as its driver, I must be something special,
too.
--->
Do You Really Need To Buy A Bugatti?
What It Means To Be Legendary
Sir Jony Ive, Gilad Tiefenbrun, and the Linn Sondek LP12 turntable.
Editorial By Becky Roberts
The answer to
'What's more legendary: Sir Jony Ive or Linn's Sondek LP12?' would probably be different depending on whether it came out of the mouth of a hi-fi enthusiast or a technology
nut. Both have made a huge mark in their respective fields — Ive for being the chief design lead at Apple for over 20 years, and consequently behind some of the most landmark devices in consumer technology; the LP12 for being arguably the most iconic turntable of all time and incontestably an inspiration not only for future Linn products but also those from other hi-fi
manufacturers. Their worlds have recently, somewhat unlikely I suppose, collided. Linn and Ive collaborated for a new 50th-anniversary edition of the Sondek LP12 record player, fittingly called the LP12-50 and set to ship between August and March in a limited batch of 250 units. It marks
Ive's first non-Apple hardware project and Linn's first LP12 redesign of this
scope.
---> What It Means To Be Legendary.
Innovation Happening Every Day
Today we enjoy advanced innovations that are easily recognized.
Editorial By J. Martins
On December 10, 1915, Danish engineer Peter L. Jensen and Edwin S. Pridham presented a groundbreaking invention to the public in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA. It was the first practical application of a moving-coil loudspeaker, using a horn to amplify the sound. They successfully took their invention to market, building speakers for public address systems and for radios under the Magnavox
brand. Much earlier, British physicist, inventor, and radio pioneer Oliver Joseph Lodge described the concept of the dynamic loudspeaker and was even granted a patent for a dynamic, moving-coil loudspeaker concept. Ten years after Jensen and Pridham successfully demonstrated a moving-coil loudspeaker, in 1925, Edward W. Kellogg and Chester W. Rice applied for the first of many loudspeaker-related patents. The
"Sound reproducing apparatus" was issued in 1926, and the "Loud-Speaker" patent was issued in
1929.
---> Innovation Happening Every Day.
Welcoming Both New And Longstanding Audio Companies
Our favourite brands to release the new products.
Editorial By Alan Sircom
Are there too many companies in audio? We are approaching Audio Show season for the end of 2023, and at each event there are seemingly dozens of new brands offering products, but a finite number of buyers, many of whom buy from the same companies they always bought from. Is that
sustainable? This year is going to be especially interesting. Those long product development cycles used by bigger brands stalled during the pandemic lockdowns, and in more than a few cases, the products those designers
weren't developing in 2020 and 2021 are the ones that aren't arriving in the stores this season. Meanwhile, the keen enthusiast with an idea and a passion had months to themselves to perfect their new
product.
---> Welcoming Both New And Longstanding Audio Companies.
UK Audio Show 2023 Report
This year's very special UK Audio Show once again took place at the Staverton Park Hotel on October 7th and 8th, 2023. With four established events, plus a new one, and the return of an old
favorite, let's raise a glass to the Chester Group and the enterprising UK industry. Manufacturers and distributors can now cover the whole of the UK, and local dealerships benefit from local promotion and
sales. "I enjoyed the UK Audio Show 2023 immensely," said Enjoy the
Music.com reporter Clive Meakins. "Thank you to Chester Group for once again putting together another great show and thanks to all the exhibitors for being so very helpful."
---> The UK Audio Show 2023 Report.
Toronto Audiofest 2023 Show Report
The Toronto Audiofest 2023 show, held from October 20th through 22nd, features one of Canada's best luxurious premium high-technology home audio and video showcase. The Toronto Audiofest is an acclaimed consumer electronics (CE) exhibition. It brings together hundreds of audio brands featuring top-rated audio and video equipment from around the globe. Attendees may hear, touch, and compare various sound systems within many floors of demo rooms. It is the perfect place to experience the ultimate in sound quality. If you are considering acquiring a complete sound system or only a new piece of equipment, the Toronto Audiofest 2023 is the place for
you! Virtually all visitors share one thing in common, they have a deep passion for music! While some are longstanding audiophiles, many others are music lovers and/or just curious to discover the benefits of better sound quality.
---> Toronto Audiofest 2023
Show Report.
World Premiere Review!
Art Audio Opus 4 And Carissa Vacuum Tube Amplifier Review
Two amps from Art Audio and two pairs of speakers from Quad determine ideal combinations.
Review By Bob Grossman
My musical listening times have
been quite active and busy over the past couple of months as I have mixed and
matched various combinations of two vintage Quad speaker models along with two
new beautiful amplifiers from Art Audio based in Nottingham, U.K. I have been on
a year-long listening and learning pilgrimage revisiting memories and prior
experiences from hearing Quads decades ago. I acquired restored Quad 57 and 63 speakers from the renowned
specialist Sheldon Stokes of SDS Labs in New Hampshire, USA as the starting
point for understanding and hearing both electrostatic models designed by Peter
Walker. The focus of this review project is the Art Audio Carissa stereo amplifier and
the Art Audio Opus 4 monoblock amplifier pair. Both amplifiers
were used in rotation for both pairs of speakers.
--->
Art Audio Opus 4 And Carissa Vacuum Tube Amplifier Review.
World Premiere Review!
Margules Audio U-280SC 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Vacuum Tube
Amplifier Review
Realistic sound with extended frequency extension... plus tube rollers can rejoice too!
Review By Tom Lyle
Margules Audio is a high-end
audio company that produces a full line of components. It is headquartered in
Mexico City, Mexico, and although the Margules Audio U-280SC 30th Anniversary
Limited Edition vacuum tube stereo amplifier review you're about to read is
brand new, the company has been in business since the early 1980s. The Margules
family – now including third and fourth-generation members – has been
involved in audio in one way or another since the early part of the twentieth
century, when Mr. Jacob Margules, a European engineer. He also contributed to
the building of radio stations and electrification in Mexico as they
manufactured wind-up gramophones, followed by tube radios, plus they distributed
industrial parts too.
--->
Margules Audio U-280SC 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Vacuum Tube Amplifier Review.
Alexandria Audio Monitor Loudspeaker Review
Road to Bali, or Bali high-mids and lows... from a surprising newcomer within Indonesia.
Review By Ric Mancuso
I like reviewing audio playback offerings from other
countries. A few generations of gear have come from other lands that have
matured and demonstrated worthiness to be top contenders in the High-End
markets. I received on my doorstep two crates that seemed to come from an Indiana
Jones movie. Was there an Arc of the Covenant inside them in two pieces,
snakes, monkey heads, or loudspeakers? SNAKES! I hate snakes! Not. I think
snakes are cool and mysterious creatures. Audio equipment can be mysterious and
unpredictable creatures as well. I got my cordless drill with a Phillips drill
bit armed for the unexpected. It took me some time to unpack the secure contents
revealing a pair of Alexandria Monitor loudspeakers.
--->
Alexandria Audio Monitor Loudspeaker Review.
World Premiere Review!
Coherent Audio Trim Tens Floorstanding Loudspeaker
Review
Shining a spotlight on the music.
Review By Paul Schumann
After
my first year of college, I inherited my Dad's Dynaco ST-70 amp and PAS preamp.
The Jensen drivers in the speakers he built before I was born had fallen apart
and he wanted a simpler system to listen to music. Over the summer I worked at a
sandwich shop and saved my money to buy a new pair of speakers. When I finally
socked away enough dough, I went to the audio salon I had been haunting for
nearly a year. Surprised I was going to actually buy something, I got the royal
treatment. Looking back, I'm amazed at the wide variety of
transducers I listened to that day. I'm not going to drop any names, but a lot
of famous early 1980s speakers were in the shop at that time.
--->
Coherent Audio Trim Tens Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review.
Danacable Lazuli Rhapsody Headphone Cable Review
A direct connection.
Review By Gary Alan Barker
Seven
years ago I reviewed the Danacable Lazuli Reference Headphone Cable
(as well as the standard Lazuli cable), which was indeed my first cable
review for Headphone.Guru. That is not to say that I was new to cables at the
time, I had been testing and using high-end cables since the eighties, I even
developed my own cable back in the eighties that I still use for certain
applications. But the upshot was that I was floored by the performance of the
Danacable Lazuli line. Now Danacable has produced a new variant, the Danacable
Lazuli Rhapsody Headphone Cable, and like then, I will be testing them with
HIFIMAN headphones, in fact, I have three pairs to choose from and plan to test
with all three beginning with my reference headphone the HIFIMAN HE6se.
--->
Danacable Lazuli Rhapsody Headphone Cable Review.
Gold Note DS-1000 EVO Streaming DAC Review
A fine streamer / DAC / pre that is a worthy addition to high-performance digital audio.
Review By Alan Sircom
The Gold
Note DS-1000 EVO has been one of the company's mainstays in its
higher-end electronics line. It's a wireless streaming DAC, making it
essentially your complete digital source component in a post-physical digital
age. However, given it also has extensive digital connections that a
disc-spinner might use, it's also likely to be a digital hub for CD transports
and other traditional digital audio devices. It has an optional XLR and RCA line
inputs if you wanted to use the DS-1000 EVO as a line preamplifier (which is
called the DS-1000 EVO LINE and is the model tested here), and a 1/4"
headphone socket too. In the past, Gold Note eschewed the notion of discussing its
chipset, taking the very admirable line that suggests its a Gold Note product,
rather than someone's chipset in a Gold Note box.
--->
Gold Note DS-1000 EVO Streaming DAC Review.
Métronome Technologie Le Player 4+ DAC / CD
Player Review
The persistence of memory.
Review By Maurice Jeffries
In
an act of musical and marketplace bravery, the esteemed French electronics firm
Métronome Technologie has taken the bold step of offering music lovers still
wed to physical media a device many long ago consigned to the dustbin of audio
history: a dedicated CD player. When Toronto, Canada-based audio distributor /
dealer Wynn Wong of Wynn Audio and our Creative Director Steven R. Rochlin
contacted to gauge my interest in reviewing Metronome Technology Le Player 4+ CD
player / DAC, I thought that they both must be crazy. What sane manufacturer
would dare to offer a dedicated (and pricey) CD player in a market dominated by
digital servers, streamers, music streaming services, and outboard DACs to that
most fickle of consumers, the modern audiophile?
--->
Métronome Technologie Le Player 4+ DAC / CD Player Review.
World Premiere Review!
Rogue Audio Stereo 100 'Dark' Vacuum Tube Amplifier Review
Musical purity and natural ease bring out the very best in your loudspeakers.
Review By Ric Mancuso
Rogue Audio's designer Mark O'Brien has been on a tear lately
with updated and new models that are setting the bar higher for the competition.
I recently wrote about the new Rogue Audio Pharaoh II and the Sphinx Model 3 before
the Stereo 100 Dark as reviewed here. You might say, they all came first under the checkered
flag. Mark is a high-performance car and motorbike enthusiast, along with being
driven — no pun intended — by his passion for premium audio high-end sound.
I guess you could call him a gearhead. Hey, aren't we all at some level? Funny,
how speedy motorbikes are a thing with other audio designers in the industry. To
name a few, EveAnna Manley of Manley Audio, Sean Casey of Zu Audio, and Mark O'Brien
of Rogue Audio. I have an exercise bike.
--->
Rogue Audio Stereo 100 'Dark' Vacuum Tube Amplifier Review.
Vivid Audio Kaya 25 Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review
A very special two-way, two-driver paradise for those on a 'budget'.
Review By Dr. Matthew Clott
Vivid
Audio is a loudspeaker line I've known for some time, yet never taken serious
interest in. Not because I was unimpressed, but because other than shows I never
really had the opportunity to absorb what they can do in a proper room. I do
know that many of my fellow reviewers hold Vivid in high regard and my interest
has always been there. Recently, Bill Parish of GTT Audio took over import
responsibilities and invited me over to experience the entire line at his place.
Fortunately for me, Bill is 33 minutes away (about 14 miles) and an easy
highway-free saunter west into rolling hills and gentle farmland (not sure what
made it gentle, but it was gentle dammit!).
--->
Vivid Audio Kaya 25 Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review.
House Of Marantz And Interview With President Joel Sietsema
We join The Listening Chair's Howard Kneller as he attends Marantz' 70th Anniversary celebration.
Photos And Videos By Howard Kneller
Within these two videos, Howard Kneller, co-founder of
The Listening Chair, takes us along on his two-day visit to the House of Marantz event, which was held in July of this year to celebrate the
company's 70th anniversary. For almost the past twenty years, Howard has worked as a reviewer, columnist, and/or photographer for a variety of audiophile
publications. Last year, Howard joined forces with well-respected audio
journalist Colin Saunders to start an audiophile YouTube channel called The Listening Chair with Howard
Kneller. Since that time, they have been joined by numerous other reviewers based around the U.S. and world, including industry veteran Kemper
Holt.
--->
House Of Marantz And Interview With President Joel Sietsema.
The Intro
Editorial By Art Dudley
Is Tony Rice the "best" guitarist in
bluegrass music? Before you scold me for looking at the world that way
— stuffing artists into neat
little pigeonholes and ranking musicians the way most people rank baseball players
— bear in mind that I don't do it half as
much as I used to. And since kids can be forgiven for thinking like that, I have let
myself off the hook for all those nights I drove around town with my pals, arguing
over whose guitar heroes were the "best," like some adolescent McLaughlin Group in
plaid flannel shirts. (John McLaughlin: "Who's heavier, Jeff Beck or Jimmy Page?"
Jack Germond: "I think it's Jimmy Page." John McLaughlin: "Wrong
again. Pat Buchanan, who's heavier...?"). But the title of this month's music feature is a deliberate, and hopefully thought-provoking, reference to the fact that a great
many fans, fellow musicians, and critics all consider Tony Rice to be the best in his
field.
---> Listener Magazine The Intro By Art Dudley.
A Homebrew Horn For Dual Concentric Loudspeakers
Article By Roy Hilsley
I consider myself to be very lucky. My father introduced me to hi-fi when I was a teenager.
That was over forty years ago! In those days audio electronics and hi-fi was very much an
experimenter's hobby and my father loved to put electronic components together to make all
manner of things. He built our amps, tuner and speakers — first for mono and then stereo. He
even built our first TV set! The early hi-fi shows in England were held at the Hotel Russell in London and we would visit
to look, see and hear the latest audio innovations. My father was a music lover and could
play the piano. He knew what sounded natural. At one of the shows he was so impressed
with the sound made by one particular manufacturer that he ordered a pair of the speakers
at the show.
---> A Homebrew Horn For Dual Concentric Loudspeakers.
Tech Tips And Other Unsolicited Advice
The 75 Minute Restoration
From VALVE Magazine
Bill called a couple Saturdays ago to tell
me that he had traded a Mac 1700 (a hybrid receiver, with tube tuner and solid-state amp) for a Scott 340 receiver. The
person he traded with acknowledged a greater value for the Mac than the Scott and offered to pay a set amount for
service by yours truly to balance the deal. Would I be available this weekend to do check it
out? I asked Bill if it ran and he said yes. Knowing that the weak point on Scotts
was their coupling caps, I suggested he run it for a while, constantly monitoring
the output tubes for red plates. He called back a bit later and said that one tube's plate had started to glow red,
at which point he turned the 340 off. I said bring it by and I'd get it going.
---> Tech Tips And Other Unsolicited Advice.
Enjoy the Music.com And StereoNET
Sponsor
The UK Audio Show 2023
Enjoy the Music.com,
premium audio's celebrated site for 28 years is pleased to announce that in
partnership with StereoNET are sponsoring Chester Group's UK Audio Show 2023. The much-anticipated UK Audio Show is
hosting an exciting record-breaking 2023 event at the luxurious Staverton Park Hotel & Golf Club on October 7th and 8th. We invite everyone around the world to hear the world's best audio equipment from
manufacturers all over the globe. Both high-end audio and audio / video home
cinema will be presented to all attendees during a very exciting weekend filled with music and
family fun. Rejoice in comfort at the Staverton Park Hotel is staffed with a friendly and helpful team should you need
assistance.
---> Enjoy the Music.com And
StereoNET Sponsor The UK Audio Show 2023.
Enjoy the Music.com Sponsors
The Toronto Audiofest 2023 Exhibitor / Press Party
Enjoy the Music.com,
premium audio's celebrated site for 28 years is pleased to announce that we're sponsoring the Toronto Audiofest
2023 Saturday night Exhibitor / Press
Party. Show exhibitors and members of the press are invited to join us on Saturday
at 6:30 p.m. for fun friends, delectable drinks, and melodic music! Toronto Audio Fest 2023 celebrates the exciting fifth edition of its popular annual meeting from October
20th through 22nd at the Westin Airport Hotel. Back to the Westin Airport Hotel, the Toronto Audiofest isn't just the perfect place to discover, admire, and experience the world's finest audio components gathered under one roof.
--->
Enjoy the Music.com Sponsors The Toronto Audiofest 2023 Exhibitor / Press Party.
We're All In This Together
A bit of retrospective during Enjoy the
Music.com's 25th Anniversary.
Editorial By Steven R. Rochlin
Without
a doubt the familiar phrase "Hindsight is 2020" almost feels like it
originated as a message from a future time traveler, which we have profoundly
misunderstood (h/t Steve Hoffman). Looking back during the past 25 years, and
~9000(!) web pages ago, this site was originally launched as a way to easily
answer the many questions he was receiving from others online. Back then, as
best I recall, there were less than a single handful of audiophile sites online.
--->
We're All In This Together.
How To Properly Place Speakers Within Your Listening Room
Video By Bill Parish Of GTT Audio & Video
In this episode Bill walks you through the process of properly placing speakers in your listening
room. Bill gets into a step- by- step process that was developed 26 years ago and followed
with in all his high-end audio system setups. His setups are proven successes through rave show reports, multiple show awards,
glowing reviews about the GTT showrooms, and the overall sound achieved by any GTT setup
room.
--->
Bill Parish's Listening Room Setup Video.
Listen To What
You Like
Roger makes a shocking suggestion.
Article
By Roger Skoff
Do
you remember the Knights Templar? Or the story of King Arthur and the search for
the Holy Grail? In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, they actually
found it, and to everyone's surprise, it turned out not to be some
jewel-encrusted chalice, designed and fit for the use of kings or better, but
the simple clay vessel of a carpenter or a man of the people. As portrayed in the movie, the significance of
the Grail lay not in what it was made of, but in the way that it was regarded by
those who beheld it. Perhaps surprisingly, there's a fairly good parallel to
that in High-End audio. Our Holy Grail – the thing so many of us have
always sought – has always been (at least after Harry Pearson first described
it as such ) "the absolute sound": a perfect reproduction of the experience of
hearing live music played in person. That was my hope for years, too, and it's been
the goal of most of the audiophiles I've known, ever since I first got into this
hobby....
---> Listen To What You Like.
STEREO
Sound Education Sessions In America
Crazy idea becomes a big hit at an American high school.
Report By Matthias Böde
Teaching young people about hi-fi, its possibilities and its potential for
fascination is Matthias Böde's favorite subject and a matter close to his
heart. In 2019, for example, our "Mr. Workshop" utilized the
connection between PREMIUM PARTNER Reiner Kemper in Ulm and the local technical
high school to give senior students an insight into high-quality music
reproduction, taking into account their personal interests. For the teenagers,
it was a school trip into the hi-fi field that was as unusual as it was
delightful, and which found its way into (German) STEREO issue 3/2020 as
a workshop. Benjamin Rehberg, hi-fi enthusiast and STEREO reader
living in New York, also read the article and was impressed by its approach.
--->
STEREO Sound Education Sessions In America.
Aavik Acoustics RIAA R-180 Phono
Preamplifier Review
Excellent transparency and musicality deliver musical bliss.
Review By Tom Lyle
In July of
2021, I reviewed Aavik Acoustics's
I-180 integrated amplifier, D-180 DAC, and S-180 streamer / network player. In the review, I practically raved about
the sonic quality of all three components, so it was no surprise that Aavik earned
a hard-fought Enjoy
the Music.com 2021 Blue Note Award within
our
September 2021 issue. The three Aavik components bestowed a 2021 Blue Note award are
not cheap, but neither are they extravagantly priced at $7200 each. That is
certainly reasonable for high-end audio components that I thought were some of
the best I've ever heard within and above their price range. Not only that, but
these three components took a surprisingly noticeable step up in their sonic
performance when used together. I'm willing to admit that their good looks might have
initially contributed to me liking them, especially when the three components
were stacked on top of each other - an Aavik stack.
--->
Aavik Acoustics RIAA R-180 Phono Preamplifier Review.
Interview With David Chesky
On Music And his new venture the Audiophile
Society.
Plus a very special
half-off code
for our friends.
Article By Steven R. Rochlin
The Audiophile Society is the brainchild of composer, pianist, and audio pioneer David Chesky. The new label will focus on bringing even more realistic three-dimensional recordings to market with their Mega-Dimensional Sound, The Audiophile
Society's name for their unique two-channel 3D audio that can play on all existing two-channel stereo, while showcasing emerging artists working in a multitude of genres. The ultimate goal of The Audiophile Society is to change the way you hear
music.
---> Interview With David Chesky
Concerning Music.
Rogue Audio Pharaoh II Integrated
Amplifier Review
A new King is crowned!
Review By Ric Mancuso
Rogue Audio
has once again upped the ante with their Pharaoh II hybrid integrated amp. I'm
always a bit wary of the 'New & Improved' versions of any products that
come to market. I seem to gravitate to original models (brands) of most premium
products. Why do you ask? Well, because Herculean engineering efforts usually go
into the development and production of a groundbreaking design. The Pharaoh I
was launched in 2013, nearly ten years ago! It has been my reference amp for
years. I have seen the evolution of many Rogue Audio products over time and had
asked Mark O'Brien, designer and owner of Rogue Audio, periodically if there was
going to be a revamp of the now classic Pharaoh. His answer was always, not at
this time.
--->
Rogue Audio Pharaoh II Integrated Amplifier Review.
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