Ayon Audio CD-35 II Signature CD Player / Transport Review
My new reference!
Video By Ana[dia]log
Sound has always caught my attention and fascinated me since I was a child. I was born and raised in Italy, in the Florentine countryside. My father is Italian but my mother was from the
USA. In fact, she was always playing cassettes and 45 rpm vinyl LPs of the so-called oldies from the 1950s and 1960s including The Beatles. This opened up a huge new world to my eyes and ears to various genres of music besides the classic stuff friends and I were listening in Italy while growing up during the 1980s and 1990s. The different sounds and
language had a great influence on my life and musical tastes. Fast-forwarding a few years, during college I finally started to have my musical independence and my own first (crappy)
stereo. I slowly started to understand that different gear, especially that of non-famous brands, could open a whole new world of sound quality and
engagement....
--->
Ayon Audio CD-35 II Signature CD Player / Transport Review.
Acora Acoustics' Granite
Loudspeakers Review
The origins and sound of granite.
Lee Scoggins Talks With Acora Acoustics Founder Valerio Cora
With the nearly universal consensus of praise and earning many show awards during the Florida International Audio Expo 2023, the Acora Acoustics, VAC, Oracle Audio, Aurender, LampizatOr, and Cardas Audio room was a sound to
behold! As one of the best-sounding exhibition room during the recent Tampa show, it brings us joy to showcase a very recent interview by
Lee Scoggins as he sits down with Acora Acoustics founder Valerio Cora. They both discuss Acora's relatively recent emergence in the audiophile world. Within this video, you'll discover why using granite as an enclosure plays a big role in the loudspeaker's overall performance and Valerio's beginnings with high-end
audio. Enjoy the Music.com's Steven R. Rochlin reported on the Florida show and said, "My wife heather and I came back to this room a few times, as it was right off the dining area and so was easy to hear them during the day and night sessions too. My wife and I loved the sound, as it was fast, clean, and immensely musical. The Acora Acoustics VRC-1 floorstanding loudspeakers, as seen here in GT Pearl Granite, also were able to fill the very large room with deep bass, and the uppermost registers (high) were smooth and
clean."
--->
Acora Acoustics' Granite Loudspeakers Review.
Enjoy the
Music.com's May 2026 Luxury High-End Audio Review Magazine: Show Reports, World Premiere Reviews, & More
AXPONA and Montreal Audiofest coverage, in-depth editorials, and retro-gear reviews too.
The May 2026 issue of Enjoy the Music.com's luxurious high-fidelity audio
Review Magazine celebrates our love for music in all its forms. This issue delivers a broad mix of show coverage, editorials, technical features, and equipment reviews. The issue frames its content around both audiophile heritage and the current youthful momentum within our high-end audio world, as we position historic perspective alongside world premiere product coverage. Our comprehensive show reporting includes dedicated coverage of AXPONA and Montreal Audiofest 2026 that highlights major debuts, listening room impressions, and the music programming that defined each event. The show reports emphasize how live demos and meet-ups remain essential for evaluating flagship systems, spotting emerging trends, and our industry's ongoing growth
trajectory. As always, in the end what really matters is that you...
enjoy the music!
---> May 2026 Luxury High-End Audio Review
Magazine: Show Reports, World Premiere Reviews & More.
Hi-Fi+ May 2026 High-End
Audio Magazine
Editorial: The Ultimate Goal Of High-Fidelity Audio
Audiovector R 5 Floorstanding Loudspeaker
Accustic Arts PREAMP 1/AMP 1 Pre & Stereo Power Amp
Nagra Compact Player Network Streamer
Bowers & Wilkins 707 S3 Prestige Edition Loudspeaker
Linn 150 Floorstanding Loudspeaker
Isol-8 Powerline Extreme Power Distributor
HIFISTAY MYTHOLOGY X-1 Equipment Support
Editor's Choice: Our Collection Of The Finest Audio Gear
...And Much More!
---> hi-fi+
May 2026 High-End Audio Magazine.
HIGH END Vienna 2026 — Premiere
High-End Audio Show At Austria Center
Music lovers and audiophiles
will enjoy
Vienna's legendary musical heritage.
HIGH END Vienna 2026 opens a new chapter for the
world's premier high-end audio exhibition, staging its debut at the Austria Center Vienna
from June 4th through 7th. The relocation from Munich to Vienna was framed as both symbolic and strategic: organizers emphasized
Vienna's musical heritage and the ACV's modern facilities as ideal for larger, more immersive listening experiences. The event has a
sold out exhibitor floor well in advance of this audiophile event and will reach a steady stream of international visitors across four days. The Austria Center Vienna provides a spacious, acoustically flexible setting that allows manufacturers to build larger demonstration rooms and more elaborate installations than in previous years. Exhibitors range from legacy loudspeaker and
tube amplifier makers to boutique turntable builders and cutting-edge streaming and
room correction technology firms. Many luxury audio brands will use the Vienna high-end audio show debut to present flagship products and concept systems, some of which were prototypes slated for later commercial release.
---> HIGH END Vienna 2026 — Premiere High-End Audio Show At Austria
Center.
Catalog Kings Unite — BMG & Concord Merge To Create Independent Music Powerhouse
BMG and Concord have agreed to merge into a single, independent music company operating under the BMG name, creating a combined business controlled roughly 67% by Bertelsmann and 33% by affiliates of Great Mountain Partners, with Concord CEO Bob Valentine named CEO and
BMG's Thomas Coesfeld to serve as chairman. BMG and Concord announced a definitive agreement on April 28, 2026 to combine their publishing, recorded-music, theatrical-rights, and digital-distribution operations into a unified company that will operate under the BMG brand while keeping a recorded-music arm called Concord Records. The new company will be headquartered globally in Nashville with a European base in Berlin, reflecting the two
firms' existing footprints. The transaction is structured so that Bertelsmann will own about 67% of the combined business and affiliates of Great Mountain Partners will hold about 33%, with the latter receiving a one-time cash payment of $1.16 billion as part of the
deal.
---> BMG & Concord Merge To Create Independent Music
Powerhouse.
Montreal Audiofest 2026
Luxury Hi-Fi Audio Show Report
The ultimate audiophile and
music lover experience.
Montreal Audiofest 2026 (Salon Audio Montreal)
returned March
20th through 22nd, bringing Canada's premier high-end audiophile event to the city. Organizers
enjoyed welcoming thousands of music lovers and audiophiles eager to listen, see, and handle cutting-edge audio gear, with over
luxury 300 brands showcased under one roof. The three-day festival was designed for audiophiles, videophiles,
immersivephiles, and curious music lovers seeking modern immersive, hands-on
experiences. As the largest audio event in Canada, the event gathered top distributors, manufacturers, and retailers from the
high-end consumer electronics industry. Attendees joyously explore dedicated demo
listening rooms, vendor booths, and curated exhibits that highlight the latest in
luxurious loudspeakers, top-rated amplifiers, precision Hi-Res Audio DACs, turntables, immersive
headphones & portable audio, plus home A/V systems. The show's scale and industry presence
made it a
must-visit for anyone tracking trends in premium sound and home cinema.
---> Montreal Audiofest 2026 Luxury Hi-Fi Audio Show
Report.
AXPONA 2026 Features Audiophile Gear, Master Classes,
& Seminars
AXPONA 2026 is a three-day high-end audio event for audiophiles and industry insiders, running April 10th through 12th at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center just outside Chicago. AXPONA's programming emphasizes education and community: the schedule featured seminars, master classes, live concerts, and
after-hours events designed to pair technical deep dives with musical experiences. For attendees planning a visit, organizers and reviewers offered practical tips: plan your route through the many exhibit rooms, use the AXPONA app to track
must-hear demos, and expect international brands to debut flagship systems that are best experienced live rather than via specs
alone. Over three days, the AXPONA 2026 show combines a sprawling Expo Hall with many listening rooms, a trade pavilion, live musical performances, and specialty areas such as the Ear Gear Experience, and IASCA car audio showcase.
---> AXPONA
2026 High-End / Luxury Audiophile Show Report.
International Jazz Day 2026: Chicago All-Star Global Concert Marks 15th Anniversary
Global celebrations, educational programs and a
star-studded Chicago concert highlight the 15th anniversary of UNESCO's worldwide jazz
initiative.
Article By Steven R. Rochlin
International Jazz Day 2026 drew global attention on the 30th of April, as musicians, educators, and communities around the world joined a coordinated series of concerts, workshops and broadcasts to celebrate
jazz's enduring cultural impact. The day's centerpiece was an
All-Star Global Concert hosted in Chicago, a city long synonymous with jazz innovation, which served as a focal point for live performances and a hub for simultaneous satellite events. Thousands of local gatherings—from small club sets to large outdoor festivals—complemented the global broadcast, creating a layered program that reached audiences in dozens of time zones. Organizers emphasized accessibility, streaming key segments online and partnering with cultural institutions to ensure the music and educational content reached schools and community
centers.
--->
International Jazz Day 2026: Chicago All-Star Global Concert Marks 15th Anniversary.
That's Not How It Always Works
While a possibly futile task, let's try to discuss audiophile fact and fantasy.
Article
By Roger Skoff
When
I was just an ordinary Hi-fi Crazy, not yet having gotten into our industry
either as a writer or a manufacturer, I and my buds used to spend hours doing
what seems to be standard audiophile practice: When we weren't actually
working on our systems, we'd sit around talking about hi-fi gear: About what
we owned or had heard someplace; about what we wanted or didn't want to buy;
about what we had read a review of or heard about from a friend. We always
talked as if we were the world's greatest hi-fi experts, and when we passed
judgment on something, it was always absolute and always extreme:
The item in question was either "the world's greatest" or "dog meat",
with never anything in the middle. When I actually became a reviewer for one of the magazines (Sounds
Like…) and editor for a monthly Audio Industry newsletter (Sounds
Like…News), all of that changed radically. Instead of issuing high-handed pronunciamentos,
as I had done before, when it didn't matter....
--->
That's Not How It Always Works.
Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems Progression S350 Stereo Power Amplifier Review
The Dan D'Agostino S350 amplifier makes each musical selection sound spectacular!
Review By Tom Lyle
Dan D'Agostino Master Audio
products are not the most expensive audio components on the market, but in my
opinion, their audio products are some of the best sounding high-end
audio components I've ever had the pleasure of auditioning. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to review two
D'Agostino Master Audio components in the past. In 2017, I reviewed the
excellent-sounding Momentum
Lifestyle integrated amplifier, which had an onboard DAC and could also
be used as a streamer with its front-panel LCD metadata display. Also in 2017, I
reviewed D'Agostino
Master Audio System's Momentum phono stage, which I was highly impressed
with its outstanding sound quality and very user-friendly front panel controls.
--->
Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems Progression S350 Stereo Power Amplifier
Review.
SVS SB-2000 Active
Subwoofer Review
A reasonably-priced high quality 12" powered subwoofer system.
Review By Tom Lyle
At
times I must come off as some sort of audio-curmudgeon, such as when I became
upset when I noted some audiophiles calling a component a preamplifier rather
than a line stage. There have been other times, too, that I've gotten upset over
someone using what I consider the incorrect nomenclature for an audio component
or part. Thankfully, I've gotten over that preamplifier versus line stage
episode. But I'm still working on the fact that some sell speakers that they
call "subwoofers" yet don't go below 20 Hz. "Sub" what? Thankfully, there's no
reason to have any ill will in regards to the SVS SB-2000, since SVS claims that
it reaches down to 19 Hz and might even reach lower depending on one's room size
and its placement in one's room. What makes this SVS SB-2000 subwoofer even
better is that it is rather small, measuring only about 14.5"
x 14.5" x 15.5". The sub's depth is a little greater when attaching its
curved grille, but even still, this is quite a small subwoofer....
--->
SVS SB-2000 Active Subwoofer Review.
Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum III Int. Amp. / Phono Stage Review
Excellent build quality combined with the sonic performance of vacuum tubes.
Review By Ron Nagle
The
name Cronus is past down to us from an ancient Greek myth. Krónos was the
leader and youngest of the first generation of Titans.
I did my usual on line peeking and sleuthing and found images of the Cronus, a
very retro looking open frame amplifier. But while all of those pictures looked
like the subject of this evaluation they were actually photos of an earlier
version of the Magnum II amplifier. So these photos were taken before I ever got
my hands on this review sample. This story is about the new extensively upgraded
Cronus Magnum III. When I opened the box and peeled back the packing I lifted
(grunt) an impressive 55 pound amplifier from its cardboard container. Rogue Audio's Cronus is a very serious and convincingly
constructed component; I didn't see any signs of money saving cost cutting
construction anywhere. The Amplifier is shipped with five small triodes in
place. That is three 12AU7 and two 12AX7 tubes.
--->
Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum III Int. Amp. / Phono Stage Review.
Discover more hi-fi reviews and expert articles within our Review Magazine.
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