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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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Occasional Column: The Musical Point
Of View
Achieving the artist's intentions of their audio art.
Article By Jules Coleman
Within my previous
article last month, I argued that modes of communication
could themselves be sources or initiators of meaning. An example illustrates the
point. An artist paints a portrait of a friend whom he knows well. Through a
range of artistic choices – pose, color, background, composition, etc. – the
artist hopes to capture aspects of his friend's character, personality, the
life she's lived, and perhaps his friend's self-conception as well. The
portrait may or may not do a good job of realizing the artist's intentions, or
may succeed in the eyes of some, but not in the eyes of others. Whatever the artist's or the subject's intention or
vision, once complete and available to an audience, viewers are likely to
respond to the portrait in the light of their interests in it. Those
interests may have little, if anything, in common with the artist's or the
subject's goals for the painting.
--->
Occasional Column: The Musical Point Of View.
World Premiere Review!
Wells Audio Looking Glass II Level II Power
Conditioner Review
Feeling as if you can step into it and become part of the performance.
Review By Ron Nagle
If you are like me then you live in a multi-story
apartment building, then you are contaminated with junk in the trunk-line. More
than likely you are listening to your neighbor's dishwasher, air conditioner,
foot bath or God knows what. As a consequence have you ever thought your
expensive audio system has bad days when the sound is not so good? This is why
some of us audio guys prefer to listen in the wee small hours late at night.
Unfortunately, I have no choice, either fix my power source or become
crepuscular like my cat. Fire up your computer and do a search, you will find Power
Strips, AC line Conditioners, Surge Protectors, Re-Generators, and
Noise-Canceling devices. Why so many power source line tamers? That's because
very few of us (Me) are blessed with a perfectly pristine power source
unfortunately, most of us live on some sort of shared power grid.
--->
Wells Audio Looking Glass II Level II Power Conditioner Review.

Feb 2026
High-End Audio Reviews — Gryphon Antileon & Furutech Premieres
World-premiere gear, FIAE show
report, and 30 years of audiophile insight.
The February 2026 issue of Enjoy the Music.com is a celebration of music and romance! We feature a wide mix of premiere high-end audio equipment reviews, the FIAE 2026 show preview, and editorial pieces on audiophile culture — key highlights include the North America Premiere review of Gryphon's Antileon Revelation amplifier and a world premiere review of Furutech's GTO-D3 NCF Power Distributor + Origin Power Cord. The issue is dated February 2026 as we celebrate romantic music as a lasting gift and the importance of bringing new listeners into the hobby, with features on how luxury home audio shows (FIAE, Montreal Audiofest,
etc) are rediscovering the joy of attentive listening. These thematic pieces set a cultural and community context for the technical reviews that follow. This issue's mix of
long-form reviews, editorials, and show reporting makes it useful both as a buyer's reference and as a cultural snapshot of the
high-end audiophile scene in early 2026. Happy Valentine's Day music lovers, and as always... enjoy the
music!
---> Feb 2026 High-End Audio Reviews — Gryphon Antileon & Furutech Premieres
Plus FIAE 2026 Show Coverage.
Hi-Fi+
February 2026 High-End
Audio Magazine
UK Music Market: Streaming Surges & Vinyl Resilience
Technics SL-1200 / 1210G Master Edition
Thiele TT01 / TA01 Turntable And Tonearm
JMF Audio PRS 1.5 And HQS 6002 Pre/Power
Linn Majik DSM (5th Gen) Network Music Player
Pro-Ject CD Box RS2T CD Transport
Hegel H150 Integrated Amplifier
ArgentPur Monobloc Mono Power Amplifier
APL DSD-WR Digital-To-Analogue Converter
Viva Solista Integrated Amplifier
...And Much More!
---> hi-fi+
February 2026 High-End Audio Magazine.
Qobuz Music
Streaming Service Says No To AI
While many music streaming services are still using lossy or, worse still,
pushing non-standard proprietary music formats to increase their own company profits, more top music lovers and audiophiles choose Qobuz for their true lossless Hi-Res Music service. Recently, Qobuz posted "Why
We're Taking a Human-First Stand on AI-Generated Music", and to summarize, it
says that at its heart, music is about human expression and we here at Enjoy
the Music.com very much agree. Music listening to out loud connects, shapes us, and deepens our sense of the
world and each other. As fans, it enriches our lives on a daily basis; as artists, it showcases what
we're capable of creating. Simply put, music makes us more human. When Qobuz was founded in 2007, they made a promise to honor the artists, voices, stories, and hard work behind the songs you love. Today, Qobuz remain committed to keeping music human
as music is in the midst of a watershed moment with an unprecedented number of AI-generated tracks being created and uploaded to
various streaming platforms. AI tools can generate hundreds of tracks in minutes from simple prompts.
---> Qobuz Music Streaming Service Says No To
AI. 
ISE 2026: Luxury Home Audio
& Custom Installation
Integrated Systems Europe returned to Fira de Barcelona Gran Via from February 3rd through 6th, and the residential halls were dominated by luxury and custom home audio innovations that target
high net worth homeowners and boutique integrators. The show floor—spanning over 80,000 m²—featured dedicated residential and specialized bespoke audio, which is moving from audiophile hobby to full architectural integration.
High-end loudspeaker manufacturers used ISE 2026 to both launch new models, and to showcase custom
in-wall and in-ceiling arrays, furniture-integrated subwoofers, and
hand-finished cabinetry designed to blend with interior design briefs. Demonstrations emphasized not just raw fidelity but
room-adaptive DSP, object-based immersive formats, and networked
high-resolution streaming—features integrators say are essential for delivering consistent performance in complex domestic spaces. Several booths staged private listening suites to simulate real living rooms, underlining the
sector's shift toward experiential sales.
---> ISE 2026: Luxury Home Audio & Custom Installation. 
Bandcamp Says No To AI Music, Will Others Follow?
This was recently posted by Bandcamp: Something that always strikes us as we put together a roundup like this is the sheer quantity of human creativity and passion that artists express on Bandcamp every single day. The fact that Bandcamp is home to such a vibrant community of real people making incredible music is something we want to protect and maintain. Today, in line with that goal, we’re articulating our policy on generative AI. We want musicians to keep making music, and for fans to have confidence that the music they find on Bandcamp was created by humans. Our guidelines for generative AI in music and audio are as
follows: Music and audio that is generated wholly or in substantial part by AI is not permitted on Bandcamp. Any use of AI tools to impersonate other artists or styles is strictly prohibited in accordance with our existing policies prohibiting impersonation and intellectual property
infringement. If you encounter music or audio that appears to be made entirely or with heavy reliance on generative AI, please use our reporting tools to flag the content for review by our
team.
---> Bandcamp Says No To AI Music, Will Others
Follow? 
Southwest Audio Fest 2026: Major Hi-FI Show
Begins A Day Early
Southwest Audio Fest (SWAF), an exiting affluent high-end audiophile event, announced a schedule shift for its 2026 edition, replacing the traditional Sunday session with a new Thursday opening to boost attendance and preserve family time for
visitors. SWAF 2026 will begin July 23th, and end the 25th at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel in downtown Dallas,
Texas. Organizers said the move responds directly to long-standing industry feedback about slow Sundays, and positions Dallas as an ideal testbed for a Thursday–Friday–Saturday format. The gear lineup at Southwest Audio Fest 2026 spans the full spectrum of
high-fidelity audio and related lifestyle categories: expect
floorstanding and bookshelf loudspeakers, vacuum tube and solid-state amplifiers,
state-of-the-art Hi-Res Audio DACs and streamers, reference turntables and tonearms, plus premium interconnects and loudspeaker cables. Be sure to learn about
room treatment solutions that are showcased in purpose-tuned demo rooms. Music lovers will enjoy meeting up with other enthusiasts during peak days and create a livelier, more efficient experience for exhibitors and attendees
alike.
---> Southwest Audio Fest 2026: Major Hi-FI Show Beings A Day Early.

Coming Soon! Florida International Audio Expo 2026 Show Report
The eighth annual Florida International Audio Expo (FIAE) will convene audiophiles, industry professionals, and music lovers for a
three-day celebration of sound from Friday, February 20 through Sunday, February 22, at the Sheraton Tampa Brandon. The show pairs formal demo rooms with
fun listening lounges so attendees can hear loudspeakers, high-fidelity
audio electronics, turntables, and immersive headphones under realistic conditions, making it a practical venue for
side-by-side comparisons and hands-on auditions. Exhibitor participation is strong, with organizers reporting excellent exhibit spaces that bring together international brands, boutique builders, and regional specialists.
Reporting on every show to date, Enjoy the Music.com continues to
be a valuable resource for the high-end audio industry as we once again
sponsor FIAE. As this is a family event with many affluent young adults
and children attending, Enjoy the Music.com will have a special Passport
to Sound booklet for younger audiophiles. Music lovers will find flagship components and niche products across categories including loudspeakers, amplifiers, turntables, cabling, and headphone systems, while many rooms are staffed by designers and product specialists who can explain technical tradeoffs and setup
tips.
---> Coming Soon! Florida International Audio Expo 2026 Show
Report.
Luxury Home Audio Shows Q1 2026 — FIAE, Montreal Audiofest, & AXPONA: Rediscover Hi-Fi Listening
As we report, you can join us at three luxurious
home audio events that bring vibrant, immersive music into our lives... and living rooms.
Editorial By Steven R. Rochlin
The excitement
builds as there is a particular kind of purified electricity that hums through a
hotel corridor when a high-end audio show is in full swing: the deep bass, silky
smooth highs, and confident amplifiers warm n' happy. From the soft sounds of
small acoustic ensembles to bold bands, the quick, conspiratorial exchange of
favorite reference tracks between strangers who will leave as friends. For each
of the next three months, Enjoy the Music.com will be there, meeting our
fans, and ensuring you get our expert review assessments & info on the
latest and best audiophile gear! Our exclusive 2026 high-end audiophile show reports
of the Florida International Audio
Expo, Montreal Audiofest, and AXPONA promise
to remind us why hi-fi matters—not as an indulgence for a few, but as a
vibrant, life-enhancing practice that sharpens attention, deepens feeling, and
re-connects us to the simple miracle of sound. The Florida International Audio
Expo, Montreal Audiofest, and AXPONA 2026 events each offer their own flavor of
discovery, but together they form a circuit of listening that celebrates
craftsmanship, curiosity, and the communal joy of music heard well.
--->
Luxury Home Audio Shows Q1 2026 — FIAE, Montreal Audiofest, & AXPONA: Rediscover Hi-Fi
Listening.
Passport To Sound: An Invitation To What The Audio Show Can Become
Bringing fun and education to young music lovers and future audiophiles.
Editorial By May Anwar
Every Saturday morning of my childhood began with Beethoven.
The Appassionata Sonata or Symphony No. 5 spilled from my father's turntable at
a volume that stirred my heart before I was fully awake. The turntable sat on a
heavy wooden credenza, its glass lid closed like a museum case. We children
could admire the record collection stored inside but were never allowed to touch
the equipment itself. The system was sacred. Surrounded by music, I assumed I understood it. Years later, I
realized I had only been granted access to listen but had never truly learned
what made a system sound good. When I received my first cassette player as a teenager eager
for independence, I traded quality for freedom and never looked back. By
college, I had forgotten what music was meant to sound like. I listened to
compressed, flattened tracks through cassette players, then MP3 players, and
eventually voice-activated devices that made listening even more casual.
--->
Passport To Sound: An Invitation To What The Audio Show Can Become.

North American Premiere Review!
Gryphon Antileon Revelation Amplifier Review — Dynamics, Detail, & Drive
Class A 160 Wpc power, purity, and the
all-important real-world listening impressions.
Review By Tom Lyle
I read somewhere that I praise
every audio component reviewed for Enjoy the Music.com; after three decades
of listening and testing, I can understand why. Advances in engineering mean
that many review samples—amplifiers, preamplifiers, and loudspeakers—now
deliver exceptional sound quality plus fit and finish. Just taking one look at
the new Gryphon Audio Designs' Antileon Revelation stereo/mono amplifier proves
this point in 2026. That wasn't true when I began covering high-end audio in the
late 1900s, and my blunt critiques back then sometimes led to awkward
conversations with manufacturers and distributors. My aim remains to give clear,
practical assessments of how gear performs in real rooms and systems so readers
can decide whether it's the right match for their setup and budget. However, what matters more than whether I give a component or
loudspeaker system a glowing review is whether it fits one's system, room, and
budget. My job is to clearly describe equipment traits.
--->
Gryphon Antileon Revelation Amplifier Review.
World Premiere Review!
Loth-X's Silbatone C-102
Pre-Amplifier Review
A Battery Of Brilliance!
Review y Steven R. Rochlin
The world of Super Audio
Exotica is filled with legendary products. While some, like Quad loudspeakers,
are of modest pricing, there are others that have prices equal to dreamy Italian
sports cars. As someone who has enjoyed for years the Audio Note Ongaku (reaching retail
pricing of near $70,000) there are music reproduction experiences few people
have a chance to enjoy. In today's marketplace of high prices only for the sake
of "shock" marketing and press coverage, it can be confusing to separate the wheat from
the chaff. A responsible reviewer would forgo the marketing hype to find the true
ultrahigh-performance products. This brings us to the very unique and amazing
$30,000 Loth-X Silbatone C-102 vacuum tube pre-amplifier. The name Silbatone is their belief in that silver conductors
(SIL),
batteries (BA), and good tome (TONE) are
a must if one is to achieve the highest of resolution. As for the silver aspect,
technically copper is a
great conductor, though it is indeed eclipsed by silver.
---> Loth-X's Silbatone C-102 Pre-Amplifier
Review.

GIK 4A Alpha Panel Diffusors
Review
One of the best values to treating any good listening room.
Review By Rick LaFaver
I have always been a staunch advocate of adding room acoustic devices as an integral part of any high quality sound system. That is unless you listen within an anechoic chamber or a padded cell. There are many different ways to handle standing waves whether it is DSP, diffusion, wide spectrum, or narrow spectrum absorption.
GIK 4A Alpha Panel Diffusors are a great way to improve your listening room and
here's why: Two of the most important elements in creating the foundation of any great listening room are choosing a world class speaker and an acoustic treatment plan that tames any anomalies in your room of choice. I have used a blend primarily absorption with limited diffusion in my space for many years by using four GIK 244 Bass traps to deal with the rear wave from my speakers. In addition, they are either in two corners that tend to store a lot of energy or at first reflection point on the side walls (when I have my system setup along the short wall of my
room).
--->
GIK 4A Alpha Panel Diffusors Review.

Discover more hi-fi reviews and expert articles within our Review Magazine.
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