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High-Performance
Audio Gear Reviews,
Music News, Show Reports, Articles & More!
30 Years Of Service To Music
Lovers.
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High-End Audio Spotlight: World Premiere, Gear Reviews, & Acoustic Insights
Continuing our celebratory salute to three decades of high-end audio journalism,
Enjoy the Music.com's August 2025 Review Magazine kicks off with Roger Skoff's thought-provoking Viewpoint essay,
"Pump Up The Volume? When Is Loud Too Loud?", exploring the art and science of musical dynamics and why true emotion often lives between pianissimo and fortissimo. There's a
forward-looking editorial by audioXpress, titled "The Endless Mysteries of
Acoustics." It delves into advanced subjects like room impulse response paradoxes,
real-time acoustic simulation, modeling of floor finishes, etc. Getting back to loudness,
Hi-Fi+'s Editor Alan Sircom writes about The Loudness Wars of the first years of the 21st Century,
plus the 'make it bigger' as a driving force, and more. Within our equipment section, this issue presents a World Premiere
Review as Paul Schumann examines the Pilot Radio Vacuum Tube Stereo Preamplifier.
We also put the Rotel Michi X5 Series 2 Integrated Amplifier through its paces.
We revisit the Ayon Audio Crossfire EVO vacuum tube mono amp, feature The Complete Guide
To High-End
Audio, and just for fun we added Nelson Pass' sensational Slot Loaded Open Baffle
loudspeaker DIY project.
---> High-End Audio Spotlight: World Premiere, Gear Reviews, & Acoustic
Insight.
StereoNET Hi-Fi & AV Expo Melbourne
2025
The StereoNET Hi-Fi & AV Expo is the largest annual luxury high-end audio and video event in
Australia. This event will bring together audiophiles, home-cinema videophile buffs, modern immersivephiles, and connected-lifestyle enthusiasts from August 29th through 31st at the Pullman Mercure Hotel & Events Centre in Albert Park, Victoria. As the largest show of its type in
Australia, it transforms many hotel rooms across multiple floors into immersive demo environments, showcasing everything from compact streaming devices and video screens to colossal floor-standing loudspeakers. Visitors can explore the
world's top audio/visual brands alongside up-and-coming innovators, with smart-home integration, gaming setups, and entertainment technologies on display. The addition of a new Level 3 exhibition area underscores the
expo's commitment to crafting a truly expansive, hands-on experience for every kind of listener and viewer. Building on its rapid growth, the 2025 edition expands to cover four full floors of the Pullman Convention Centre, featuring over 200 international
brands.
---> StereoNET Hi-Fi & AV Expo Melbourne 2025.
Hi-Fi+ August 2025 High-End
Audio Magazine
Editorial: Enjoying Music As A Happy Escape
Jadis I-88 Vacuum Tube Integrated Amplifier
Aavik I-188 Integrated Amplifier
Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS Burmester Surround Sound
Hegel H50 Hi-Res Audio DAC
Soulnote A1 Integrated Amplifier
Lindemann Woodnote COMBO Integrated Streaming Amplifier
YG Acoustics Sonja 3.2 Floorstanding Loudspeaker
Stax SRS-X1000 Electrostatic Headphone System
Pro-Ject Speaker Box 5 E Carbon Stand-Mount Loudspeaker
Stack Audio Serene Record Dampener
...And Much More!
---> Hi-Fi+'s
August 2025 High-End Audio Magazine.
Audio
Dreamin': AES Show 2025 Unveils The Future Of Sound
The Audio Engineering Society's (AES) flagship gathering returns to the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center October
23rd through 25th, promising an immersive "Audio Dreamin'" experience for more than 10,000 audio professionals,
audiophile enthusiasts, and sound engineering students from around the globe. With registration already open, attendees will converge to explore the latest breakthroughs in audio technology, ranging from
modern immersive sound formats to AI-driven signal processing and
classical stereo. Whether you're a seasoned engineer fine-tuning your mastering chain or a newcomer eager to dive deep into acoustics, AES Show 2025 delivers a curated blend of exhibits, technical papers, and hands-on demos designed to inspire and inform every corner of the audio
lifecycle. Highlighting the event's technical prowess, Warren Huart kicks off the program as keynote speaker, setting the tone for three days of cutting-edge sessions and workshops. On October 22, a series of skill-building workshops and optional technical tours will immerse participants in real-world studios and manufacturing facilities.
---> Audio Dreamin': AES Show 2025 Unveils The Future Of Sound. 
CEDIA 2025 Luxury Audio / Video And Integrator Event
CEDIA Expo/CIX returns to the Colorado Convention Center in Denver from September 3rd through 6th, co-located with Commercial Integrator Expo for the third consecutive year. Attendees will explore ~300 exhibitors showcasing smart home and commercial AV technologies—spanning luxury audio, immersive home theater, integrated lighting, outdoor living, and Work-From-Home solutions. The show floor will feature an immersive Smart Stage thought-leadership sessions, interactive demos, and the Launchpad area, where emerging brands unveil pioneering products that elevate sound, display, and control systems. This unified event enables integrators, designers, architects, and manufacturers to discover cutting-edge innovation, compare solutions side-by-side, and gain insights from industry experts. This
year's expo spotlights strong category growth with more than 50 new-to-show companies joining established brands and mid-sized enterprises. In audio, many innovative companies will deliver premium listening
experiences.
---> CEDIA 2025 Luxury Audio / Video And Integrator
Event. 
Ayon Audio Crossfire EVO Monoblock Power Amplifier Review
Ayon Audio's Crossfire Evo produces an amazingly rich, tuneful sound with
tonal balance.
Review By Wojciech Pacuła
When we carried Ayon Audio's Crossfire Evo monoblock
amplifier for review to my apartment on the fourth floor, my mind flooded with
memories of a Germany reviewer that uses Ayon Audio's Epsilon mono amplifiers
for quite some time. He use them in both his mastering work while preparing
vinyl re-issues and for reviewing purposes. His amplifiers use eight KT150 tubes
each to produce sound. Attendees of the Audio Show 2014 in Warsaw (Poland) could
find that out for themselves listening to how well these amps handled the mighty
Dynaudio Platinum Evidence loudspeakers. So while going up the many floors to my
home, Ayon Audio's Crossfire Evo monoblocks might not be particularly heavy
since most of the weight is concentrated on their backs due to the large
transformers. There are two power transformers as one powers up only the output
tube, as the other serves for input and driver tubes.
--->
Ayon Audio Crossfire EVO Monoblock Power Amplifier Review.
The Complete Guide to High-End Audio
Fifth Edition by Robert Harley
An excellent reference book for a newbie and seasoned reviewer.
Review By Heather And Steven R. Rochlin
Steven got this very helpful reference book for me, The
Complete Guide to High-End Audio Fifth Edition by Robert Harley, as I
slowly learn some of the ins and outs of high-end audio. I am very content
listening to the awesome systems both within our home and at shows. Other times,
there are great interests in what makes these products excellent, and so I
really want to know about the what, why, and especially how these systems achieve their great sound. I realize there are people out there who actually enjoy
reading technical manuals, such as my husband Steven, yet this is not for me.
The Complete Guide to High-End Audio
is perfect for me as a reference book. In fact I bring it with me to the many
different audio shows we attend just in case there are questions about
something. Am a bit timid and don't want to ask a silly question, so I refer
to my awesome new book! For me, and probably all audiophiles both seasoned and
aspiring, have found the glossary extremely helpful.
--->
The Complete Guide to High-End Audio.
YG Acoustics Carmel 2 Floorstanding
Loudspeaker Review
A thorough revision, with many improvements, to its previous design.
Review By
Phil Gold
There are many schools of thought concerning the best way to
make a loudspeaker. There is no doubt the folks at YG Acoustics with the Carmel 2
floorstanding loudspeaker ($24,300) as reviewed here think differently. Some will point you at electrostatic or planar magnetic
panels, but most designers have chosen the more conventional approach of using
dynamic drivers. Some will insist that all crossovers are evil, and the only
way to avoid this evil is to use a single dynamic driver. A lot of creativity
has been expended in this direction, particularly for those who wish to partner
these speakers with low powered SET amplifiers, since single driver speakers can
be highly efficient. But most will say both the low end and the high end are
compromised in either level or accuracy by this choice, and direct their
attention to multi-driver boxes.
--->
YG Acoustics Carmel 2 Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review.
More reviews & articles within our Review Magazine.
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