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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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Enjoy the Music.com Exclusive!
Métronome Technologie's World-Class Kalista
Mantax DAC
Musical revelations in Vienna!
Coverage By Greg Weaver
Thursday morning, November 16th (2023) found myself on an
airplane bound for Vienna, Austria. I had been invited to the private launch
event for the new flagship Kalista Mantax DAC, to be held at the Adagio Vienna
City Hotel on Saturday, November 18th. The Adagio Vienna City sits just south of the
Donaukanal, an
arm of the nearby Danube River, and just immediately west of where the Wiental
Kanal flows into it, bordering Vienna's city center. This places it just inside what is known as "The Ring," the
popular name given to a series of wide tree-lined boulevards that encircle
nearly the entire center of the city. "The Ring" is about six and a half
kilometers long (~ four miles) and arguably offers more historical sights lining
its edges than any other road in the world.
--->
Métronome Technologie's World-Class Kalista Mantax DAC.
World Premiere Review!
LCH Audio B1610 Subwoofers
Stack Audio Auvo Isolators
Synergistic Research Vibratron
An audiophile special ménage à trois.
Review By Rick Becker
Actually, neuroscience has come a
long way since Schrodinger's day, and audiophiles might be able to offer some
suggestions, too. Let me tell you about three innovative items that helped those
old songs move me even further. In typical audiophile fashion, I'm always on the lookout to
improve the sound quality of my system in search of more musical delight. A
pattern that has emerged over the past two decades is that my speakers always
seem to get better when I improve the components and add ancillary tweaks to the
rig. Funny how that happens. Many people would sooner go out and buy a new
speaker. But I've developed somewhat of a reputation for adding tweaks rather
than spending huge sums on major components. The opportunity to explore Axpona earlier this year turned up
two products in particular that I wanted to review and a third opportunity
subsequently came my way from Great Britain.
--->
LCH Audio B1610 Subwoofers, Stack Audio Auvo Isolators, And Synergistic Research Vibratron
Review.
Capital Audiofest (CAF) 2024
Show Report
(Updated 12/08)
With over 120 exhibition rooms, Washington DC's premier high-performance audio event, the Capital Audiofest (CAF) 2024
is set to take place at the Hilton Rockville (Maryland) from November
8th through 10th. Capital Audiofest started out in 2010 as a very casual show and has evolved into a well-organized and well-attended event, while also being recognized as a fun, friendly, and family-oriented high-end audiophile show. Families can casually stroll from room to room listening to music, auditioning gear, and browsing many bins of vinyl LP records, CDs, and hi-fi accessories. During the evenings, CAF 2024 will have live music in the bar
area. Capital Audiofest, held at the Hilton Rockville in Rockville,
MD, is a beautiful venue and conveniently located next to a metro station. This
provided quick access to Washington DC.
---> Capital Audiofest 2024 Show
Report.
CES 2025 January 7th Through 10th
CES 2025, the world's premier tech event, will be held from January 7th through 10th, at the Las Vegas Convention Center and surrounding venues. This highly anticipated annual event, organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), brings together the brightest minds and most innovative companies from around the globe to showcase their latest advancements in technology. With a focus on fostering growth and exploring future trends, CES 2025 promises to be a melting pot of ideas and innovations, ranging from smart cities and digital health to automotive technology, home audio networking, immersive experiences, and beyond. CES serves as a launchpad for groundbreaking products and services, providing a platform for industry leaders to connect, collaborate, and unveil their latest innovations.
---> CES 2025 January 7th Through 10th. 
Cirrus Logic CS2500, CS2501, And CS2600 Timing Devices
Cirrus Logic, a leader in audio engineering and semiconductor innovation, has released their new series of timing products, which are created to deliver a superior aural experiences within both automotive and professional audio applications. The new CS2500, CS2501, and CS2600 offer a seamless upgrade path for all existing customers (plug-n-play) while introducing advanced features ensuring very stable low-jitter clocks. This, in turn, provides an ideal clocking solution for the most prevalent audio networks, enabling downstream audio-data converters and digital-audio systems the ability to to maximize their performance while keeping the systems completely synchronized. Clean clock generation for exceptional audio quality providing lower than 50ps baseband
jitter.
---> Cirrus Logic CS2500, CS2501, And CS2600 Timing Devices.
Spotify Wrapped 2024 Showcases
Pop Music Habits
Spotify Wrapped 2024 is the latest edition of the beloved annual recap that provides users with a personalized summary of their listening habits over the past year. While we all know that Taylor Swift earned 26.6 billion streams globally, the 2024 version includes exciting new features like "Your Music Evolution," a detailed look at how users' musical tastes have evolved month-by-month. This feature is accompanied by "Your Music Evolution Playlist," highlighting significant tracks that marked your musical journey. This year The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, Drake, and Billie Eilish are
amongst the most streamed artists during 2024. One standout feature is the integration of Google's NotebookLM, which powers an AI-generated podcast that narrates users' Wrapped data, adding a dynamic and engaging element to the experience. Wrapped 2024 also includes "Artist Clips," where top artists share short, personalized messages with fans, creating a more intimate
connection.
---> Spotify Wrapped 2024 Showcases Pop Music Habits. 
Hi-Fi+ December 2024 High-End
Audio Magazine
Editorial: Welcome To The Hi-Fi+ 2025 Awards
Accustic Arts TUBE PREAMP V/AMP IV Preamplifier / Power Amplifier
PMC Active twenty5.22i Stand-Mount Loudspeaker
Monitor Audio Gold 100 6G Stand-Mount Loudspeaker
DS Audio DS-E3 Optical Cartridge And Equaliser
Chord Company PowerHAUS P6 Mains Distribution Board
Merason Reuss Digital To Analogue Converter (DAC)
DALI Rubikore 2 Stand-Mount Loudspeaker
Win! Meze Audio Liric II Worth £1,850!
...And Much More!
---> Hi-Fi+'s
December 2024 Awards Issue.
Revox Has Acquired Horch House Music Company
With reel-to-reel making a strong comeback, manufacturers of new hardware need to ensure their clients have music to enjoy on them. "In the last 15 years, Horch House has developed into the
world's leading company within the analog master tape industry," says their press release. "The brand Horch House, headed by Volker Lange, stands for an uncompromising approach towards quality. Recently, Revox announced the return of the B77, the icon of tape machines, which will be produced as the newly developed B77 MK III. Step by step, Revox plans to offer new analog products. Volker Lange is going to take over the management of the developing analog division within the Revox Group. Furthermore, he is going to become a member of the executive board at
Revox."
---> Revox Has Acquired Horch House R2R Music
Company. 
It's Holiday Time Again
Greeting the season with glorious celebration music.
Article
By Roger Skoff
Now that the
Thanksgiving feast has been reduced to leftovers and we're already seeing homes,
stores, and even downtown streets decorated with holiday cheer, what are you
doing to prepare for what's to come? Have you put together your gift list
for Christmas or Hanukkah – either who should be remembered or what to get
them? Have you planned the parties or events to throw or attend? If you're going
out, where are you going to go? And, with winter on the way, are you prepared to
spend more time at home, whether with family, friends, or just by yourself,
keeping warm? Either way, you'll likely be spending more time there, so do you
know what you're going to do with it, other than such mandatory things as
keeping up with sports or watching the ball drop on New Year's Eve?
---> It's Holiday Time
Again.
Audiophile Opinions
There's always someone ready and willing to take the contrarian
view.
Editorial By Alan Sircom
To get at least three completely different opinions on something, ask two audiophiles. In every aspect of audio performance,
there's always someone ready and willing to take the contrarian view, and argue it at length.
We've had audio enthusiasts fight over the superiority of tubes over solid-state, LP
versus CD, CD versus SACD, horns versus panels versus conventional box loudspeakers, and so on. There are those for whom the last 60 years of audio have become progressively worse, and there are those who think we are living in an ever-improving Golden Age of
audio. Although they seldom get physically violent, these fights can be longwinded and fractious. Our sister title
The Absolute Sound had two people arguing on a forum thread for several years with no conclusion in sight by the time the forum itself was switched off!
---> Audiophile Opinions.
Vivid Audio Moya M1 Loudspeaker Review
Vivid Audio's sonic and sculptural masterpiece.
Review By Maurice Jeffries
In mid-September,
GTT Audio & Video head honcho Bill Parish invited an enthusiastic cohort of
reviewers to his suburban New Jersey digs to hear speaker designer
extraordinaire Laurence Dickie ruminate about his, and by extension, Vivid
Audio's
new Moya M1 flagship floorstanding loudspeaker (LD is the chief designer at
Vivid Audio) and listen to the
speakers. GTT Audio & Video became Vivid Audio's exclusive North
American distributor on January 1, 2023. Bill and the firm that he owns took
over representation of the line at the end of Vivid's long-term association with
audio distributor On a Higher Note. Standing at over five feet tall and measuring 26 inches wide
by a whopping 48 inches deep, the Moya1 M1 cuts an imposing and, in the
exhibited gunmetal gray finish, truly intimidating figure.
--->
Vivid Audio Moya M1 Loudspeaker Review.
Vacuum
Tubes Part 1. 2, And 3
Article By
Grey Rollins
Passive
components are all well and fine, but for audio purposes we need something that
will amplify a signal. All sensors, whether they read digital bits or analog
recordings, are deficient in both voltage and current when it comes to driving
speakers. High fidelity reproduction of music is impossible without amplifying
devices. For that matter, electric guitars, keyboards, and microphones also
require amplification; so much of current popular music is dependent on
amplification, as well. There are scads of devices that can amplify a signal. A full
breakdown of the possibilities begins to resemble a fairly dense tree, with
branches going this way and that. For most consumer applications, this decision
is simple: solid-state. Only. However, music reproduction (and production —
just try to tell owners of tubed Ampegs, Marshalls, Fenders, and Mesa Boogies
that you're going to take away their amps...
---> Vacuum Tubes Part 1. 2, And 3. 
More reviews & articles within our Review Magazine.
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