June
2026
Celebrating
Our Spectacular 30th Anniversary!
Honoring Enjoy the Music.com's
exceptional articles and reviews.
During 2026, Enjoy the Music.com
will feature historic audio gear reviews and articles during our past 30
years. As always, in the end what really matters is that
you... enjoy the music!
High-Performance
Audio & Music Industry News
Essential high-end audio news you need to know.
Stay up-to-date on the latest audiophile and music industry news.
Why Retro Is Roaring Back In High-Fidelity Luxury Audio
From glowing vacuum tube amps to turntable and reel-to-reel booms, analog aesthetics and sound are driving a new era of audiophile obsession.
Editorial By Steven R. Rochlin
It's interesting, isn't it, that retro
hi-fi is resurging as listeners crave tactile, (perhaps) warm sound and exceptional craftsmanship, which is driving younger buyers and renewed industry attention. The comeback of
luxury home audio is not a nostalgic footnote; it is a cultural and market movement reshaping how people listen, collect, and value sound.
Portable CD (SACD) players are back, and there's a new boombox too! What began as a niche fascination among older audiophiles decades ago has broadened into a multi-generational phenomenon: younger listeners drawn to reel-to-reel, vinyl LPs, and compact disc (CD) tactile interfaces, and
(perhaps) the perceived warmth of analog reproduction are joining seasoned collectors, and
together they are pushing demand for vintage turntables, vacuum tube amplifiers, tape decks, and classic receivers to new heights. This renewed interest is measurable—industry observers report a sharp surge in a booming vinyl record, CD,
and reel-to-reel market that has become a serious economic force—evidence that the trend is more than sentiment and is altering market
dynamics.
--->
Why Retro Is Roaring Back In High-Fidelity Luxury Audio.
It's About Time: What Makes Music
Music
An explorations in playing the
notes versus playing the music.
Editorial By Roger Skoff
For a normal,
healthy young person, the generally accepted frequency range of human hearing is
said to be from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Before the term "Hertz" (Hz) came into use to
honor Heinrich Hertz ( the man who proved Maxwell's wave theory correct), sound
frequencies were expressed in "cycles" per second, with one cycle being the
complete cycle of the air pressures making up a sound wave, from zero to
positive peak, to zero, to negative peak, and back to zero again. What that means is that a person blessed with
good hearing is capable, because one cycle includes two pressure peaks,
of detecting 40,000 pressure changes per second or, to put it differently, of
hearing pressure changes that take just ONE FORTY THOUSANDTH OF A SECOND to
happen. Even old people like me, who may only be able to hear
frequencies an octave or more below the stated human norm—can still
clearly pick up sonic differences taking place in times in the range of less
than one ten thousandth of a second.
---> It's About Time: What Makes Music Music.
The Ultimate Goal Of High-Fidelity Audio
Getting closer to the live music performance.
Editorial By Alan Sircom
We are getting ever closer to the goal of ultimate fidelity; where a recording and the live sound are so close to one another that they are functionally identical. However, I experienced a couple of live events recently, and that demonstrated how far we still have to
go. I know of at least five members of the UK audio industry who attended the 2026 Teenage Cancer Trust (you can donate here:
teenagecancertrust.org) concerts staged at the Royal Albert Hall. Those who think
'RAH' and assume 'classical music'... these were gigs by bands like My Bloody Valentine and
Mogwai. They were handing out ear defenders at the door (I brought my own). Regardless, even with enough ear defence that my hearing remained resolutely undamaged, the visceral experience of standing in front of one of these post-rock and shoegazy bands playing at mind-numbingly powerful levels is something
that's almost impossible to replicate in the home. Good ear defence notwithstanding, Mogwai made my teeth go deaf for a few days. That is not a live, unamplified event;
it's a live event with all the amplifiers. Think of that scene from Oppenheimer, but with sound instead of a nuclear bomb.
---> The Ultimate Goal Of High-Fidelity
Audio.
A Curated Listening Experience
For many, car audio is now the most ideal environment to enjoy
the music.
Editorial By J. Martins
When I visit trade shows, particularly those that are not predominantly focused on audio technology as such, I always find interesting examples of successful businesses that have managed to find a market niche, or a product segment where audio technology truly makes a difference. But to understand the reasons why,
it's important to look carefully at the opportunity that generated that success, as well as the context, or the environment that surrounds those
companies' products. Frequently, product designers are looking at "reversed
solutions" that try to find a problem originally created by their own technology or concept. And it is always easy to find marketers amplifying that message as though all their potential customers would approach product acquisition from their own view of the
"problem." Understanding the whole layered complexity of the audio supply chain offers a fresh
perspective. Automotive speakers are one of the biggest volume categories in the loudspeaker industry, and are the last thing on the mind of a consumer when buying a car. But the automotive industry understood that loudspeakers—and the whole audio system in cars—play an increasing role in helping sell successfully as a
category.
---> A Curated Listening
Experience.
HIGH END Vienna 2026 — High-End Audio Premiere
Show Report
Where luxury and music loving audiophiles
meet
Vienna's musical heritage.
The HIGH END Vienna 2026 arrives with remarkable momentum: the
world's leading international audio show is already fully booked several months before opening. Set to take place from June 4th through 7th at the Austria Center Vienna (ACV), the early sell-out signals not only strong demand, but also a collective eagerness across the industry to witness a landmark edition. After 21 years, relocating the event to Vienna marks a symbolic and practical fresh start that many exhibitors and visitors view as a turning point. Moving the show to the Austria Center Vienna represents a strategic milestone for HIGH
END. The
venue's modern infrastructure and forward-looking facilities create a canvas for exhibitors to showcase cutting-edge audio technology in a professional, flexible environment. Organizers and participants alike expect the
center's layout and technical capabilities to elevate demonstrations, listening rooms, and product
launches.
---> HIGH END Vienna 2026 — High-End Audio Premiere Show Report.
World Premiere Review!
AGD's Allegro Unleashed: GaN-Powered Stereo Integrated
Phono / Streamer That Rewrites High-End Rules
A powerful 250+250 Watts of GaN amplification, R2R DAC / music streamer, and analog
MM / MC phono stage all within one precision chassis — convenience meets reference level sound.
Review By Brett Rudolph
April is a
busy month for the audiophile world as it hosts various luxury home audio shows,
with many companies releasing their products to enthusiastic music lovers
worldwide. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend it this year as planned, but,
as luck would have it, something even better came down the pike. AGD announced
its first integrated amplifier, the Allegro, and we were lucky enough to get it
in-house for a review. AGD Productions, Inc. is a company started a few years ago by
Alberto Guerra. His goal, as he puts it, is to bring "emotion" to his customers.
I met him a few times at both the CAF and FLAX shows and have always been a fan
of his equipment. His designs have always been extraordinarily well thought out
and incredibly beautiful. He has always been able to take his lifelong passion
and utilize his skills and knowledge to create masterpieces. The AGD Allegro is a new entry for the company. It is their
first attempt at an all-in-one system.
--->
AGD's Allegro Unleashed: GaN-Powered Stereo Integrated Phono / Streamer That Rewrites High-End Rules.
World Premiere Review!
Nagra PREAMP II-S Review: Swiss Reference Vacuum Tube Engineering Unveiled
First expert listen to Nagra's tube preamplifier with their eye-candy
Modulometer.
Review By Tom Lyle
This review
features Nagra's latest preamplifier, the Preamp II-S. I previously had the
opportunity to review two other Nagra products for Enjoy the Music.com.
My first experience with their Swiss-made Nagra components came during my 2018
review of the Nagra Classic Preamp. Many audiophiles are aware that Nagra has spent 50 years
designing and manufacturing "indestructible, Swiss-engineered, portable, and
industry-standard" reel-to-reel tape recorders. Their first model was launched
in 1953, and by the late 1950s, these recorders had gained considerable
popularity. Nagra began designing high-end audio components in 1997. In the past, I frequently saw journalists and engineers using
Nagra reel-to-reel recorders at music events. These machines were trusted and
gave the appearance that they were built to last. Anyone familiar with location
recording understands the importance of having reliable, high-quality portable
recorders. It's no surprise that music enthusiasts appreciate Nagra's
high-end audio gear for its sonic quality, dependability, and distinctive
aesthetics.
--->
Nagra PREAMP II-S Review: Swiss Reference Vacuum Tube Engineering Unveiled.
World Premiere Review!
Bayz Audio Time Corrector Review — Restoring Temporal Coherence
In-depth listening analysis of preserving and restoring temporal integrity for more natural, coherent sound.
Review By Rick Becker
I've met Zoltán Bay a couple of
times at AXPONA and have always been highly impressed with Bayz Audio speakers.
They are an extraordinary omni-directional, C-shaped point-source design with a
commanding presence, both visually and acoustically. His Bayz
Audio Courante 2.0 loudspeaker was highly praised by Dr. Mathew Clott back in the October 2020 issue, which is
worth revisiting to appreciate the context of this review of the Bayz Time
Corrector. When Steven R. Rochlin suggested I review the Time Corrector,
I was taken completely by surprise. We tend to pigeonhole people, even from just
a few encounters, and Zoltán was 'just' a supreme loudspeaker guy in my
mind. Little did I know at the time that he was a physicist as well as an
engineer. He was featured in a "We Ask 10 Questions For High-End Audio Manufacturers
Featuring Zoltán Bay, CEO And Designer For BAYZ Audio" back in 2020. I learned he is also working on an amplifier and has
interesting prior design experience that never made it across the Atlantic
Ocean.
---> Bayz Audio Time Corrector Review — Restoring Temporal
Coherence.
Lyngdorf TDAI-2210 Review — Can This One Box Replace Your Streamer, DAC, And Amp?
A compact, room-correcting, streamer, Hi-Res Audio DAC, and stereo amplifier for serious music lovers,
audiophiles, and tech geeks.
Review By Dwayne Carter
Some
of the best gear in my house has shown up at the worst possible moments. A
Bryston amplifier I once reviewed arrived the same week my refrigerator quit. A
Pass Labs piece landed on my doorstep about an hour after I'd injured my back,
lifting an amplifier I should not have been lifting alone. So, when the
Lyngdorf TDAI-2210 streaming amplifier turned up on a quiet Tuesday
afternoon, I should have suspected the universe was about to charge me for the
privilege. And it did. This afternoon, I cleared my schedule for the Lyngdorf
TDAI-2210. The box glared at me from across the room. I would wait no longer. The unboxing process was relatively easy. The Lyngdorf
TDAI-2210 arrived in a heavy box. Upon opening, I found the unit nicely packed
and protected. Once everything was unboxed, the microphone stand's quality
caught me off guard. This serious microphone stand is easily worth a couple of
hundred dollars.
--->
Lyngdorf TDAI-2210 Review — Can This One Box Replace Your Streamer, DAC, And
Amp?
World Premiere Review!
Geshelli Labs TORC DAC Review: Does This Value-Priced Compact DAC Deliver Big-League Sound?
We explore how the bargain-priced TORC DAC delivers performance that easily exceeds expectations.
Review By Tom Lyle
Over
the years, I have encountered many audiophiles who are unwilling to go into debt
or spend all their money on high-end audio components or systems. While some of
these individuals are new to high-end audio, others are more experienced, yet
both groups consistently assemble impressive audio systems. What these
audiophiles share is their love of music and the pursuit of sound quality, which
is far superior to that of mass-market audio gear found at Big Box Stores. For
music lovers and audiophiles who are not wealthy, or simply prefer not to
splurge on expensive gear, they, instead, piece together their setups using
pre-owned equipment, budget-friendly components, or both. If one of these types of audiophiles asked me for a
recommendation for an affordable, excellent-sounding DAC... read on. Geshelli Labs designs and manufactures DACs and headphone
amplifiers, and is a family business founded by husband-and-wife team Geno and
Sherri Biscegliana.
---> Geshelli Labs TORC DAC Review: Does This Value-Priced Compact DAC Deliver Big-League
Sound?
Bryston BP173 Preamplifier And Bryston
7B3 Monoblock Amplifier Combo Review
A truly amazing setup!
Review By Dwayne Carter
Bryston
is a company that has never rested on their laurels. Unlike some companies,
Bryston does not release new products every year; just to release "something".
Instead, Bryston tends to issue generational releases, marked by a significant
incremental improvement in sound and technology. Last year, Bryston introduced
their new Cubed Series amplifiers, followed by Cubed Series Integrated Amplifier
(Bryston B-1353 Integrated Amplifier), Pre-Amplifier (Bryston BP-173
Preamplifier) and Digital Streamer (Bryston BDP-3 Digital Player). The Cubed
Series products were developed with the same patented circuitry developed in
conjunction with Dr. Salomie, Ph.D., to "move the listener ever closer to the music with such visceral
realism, the experience is most comparable to live performance." Two of the products developed from this lofty goal, are the
subject of this review; The Bryston BP-173 Preamplifier and Bryston
7B3 Mono Amplifiers.
--->
Bryston BP173 Preamplifier And Bryston 7B3 Monoblock Amplifier Combo Review.
Gryphon Sonett MM / MC Phono Stage Preamplifier Review
The many joys of listening to analog music.
Review By Tom Lyle
Perhaps there are some audiophiles that may have only heard of
the Danish high-end audio manufacturer Gryphon because they have seen their ads
in Enjoy The Music.com. Although, there are probably many more audiophiles
and music lovers who have heard of Gryphon Audio Designs because they have been
around for more than thirty years and have earned a reputation for making some
very nice high-end audio equipment. For those who might not be as familiar with
Gryphon as some others, a bit of their history may be in order. Briefly, they
were founded by Flemming E. Rasmussen, who holds degrees in painting and graphic
arts from the Aarhus Art Academy in Denmark. For about ten years after he
graduated he taught, and later he worked for a sportswear company, and then,
finally, in the early 1980s he founded 2R Marketing, a high-end audio import
company. In 1985 he founded Gryphon Audio, an off-shoot of that company. One
thing led to another....
--->
Gryphon Sonett MM / MC Phono Stage Preamplifier Review.
Defining Audio Excellence: Avantgarde Acoustic Colibri C2 Hornspeaker And C18 Subwoofer Review
Experience sonic brilliance — where dreams sometimes do come true.
Review By Paul Schumann
Let's
go back in time a few years ago. It was January 2000, so that's over 25(!) years
ago. The world had survived the
Y2K crisis. Having recently purchased a couple of issues of Sound Practices,
then listening to an amazing DIY system, was starting to catch SET (Singe-Ended
Triode) fever. I was
also following an audio review website that focused quite heavily on SET gear
and high-sensitivity loud speakers to use with it. That website was, of course, Enjoy the Music.com.
That January back in 2000 our Creative Director, Steven R Rochlin, posted a review of the Avantgarde Acoustic Uno hornspeakers. They had big blue horns and looked unlike any
loud speaker
I had ever seen. You could tell from Steven's Avantgarde Acoustic Uno
review that they were something very special. After reading it, I had a bad case of audio
envy. However, there was also
family with three young children then, so extra funds were diverted to more
noble causes.
--->
Defining Audio Excellence: Avantgarde Acoustic Colibri C2 Hornspeaker And C18 Subwoofer Review.
Art
Dudley's The Intro
When I first heard about the Internet, I thought it was a load of crap.
Editorial By Art Dudley
When I was five years old, grocery stores began selling a
product called Happy Nut, which I considered ingenious: peanut butter shaped into quarter-pound sticks, like
butter, and filled with a core of grape jelly. With Happy Nut on the butter dish, one
did not have to bother opening two jars (or even one!) before enjoying a healthy,
satisfying meal: It was a simple and time-saving matter of dipping one's knife,
spreading one's spread, and eating. The fact that the Happy Nut logo was a picture of a
monkey was icing on the cake. To my five-year-old consumer consciousness, nothing made more sense: This
was the pinnacle of modern achievement. From the moment I first saw it, I could not
imagine life without Happy Nut. Then things changed. Up to a point my imagination had been the sole province of Happy Nut's benefits, but when the moment of truth arrived, those benefits proved fleeting. In fact they fleeted all to
hell.
---> Art Dudley's The Intro.
Fi "X" Direct Coupled 2A3 SE
Amplifier Review
From Sound Practices
Issue 15
I could hardly believe my eyes with the "Xu
ad spread out in front of me. First of all, you have to ask "What is it?" The answer is
that it's a stereo 2A3 single amp. Who would have thought? I don't usually get sucked in by slick advertising campaigns, but the second I saw the
ad for the Fi direct coupled 2A3 " X amplifier, I immediately had to own one. As a
homebuilder, I don't often get the urge to whip out the Amex card for store
bought gear but the "X" really hit my button hard. Despite all the charms of the 2A3, "best tube" according to many confirmed triode
nuts, there isn't much perceived desire to own three watt amps yet. People just don't
realize what they can do, yet. Fi's Don Garber has always made 2A3 SEs and I think he always will. Among professional
American amp makers, Don is alone in his unswerving dedication to the ancient 2A3, half-pioneer, half-keeper of the faith,
and half-artisan-a man of many halves.
---> Fi "X" Direct Coupled 2A3 SE Amplifier Review.
Is CD Or Vinyl Better?
Article By Steven Schneider
VALVE Volume 2 Number
3 March 1995
I recently purchased the CD version of
the RCA High Fidelity Living Stereo reissue of Richard Strauss' Also Sprach
Zarathustra, Op. 30 [09026-61 494-2] and wanted to compare it with my brand new Classic Records (a mail order firm)
LP reissue [LSC1806] of the same 1955 recording session. The performance features Fritz Reiner directing the Chicago
Symphony. The equipment used for this review were a Revox 8226 CD player, a DUAL 5000 turntable, Signet
AM30s cartridge, Eico ST84 preamplifier, a custom built Macintosh MI 200AB triode stereo amplifier using 8005 output
tubes, and a pair of custom built three way JBL Hartsfield speakers. The test that I performed was an A-B test between
the CD and the record running simultaneously. This test was only conducted on the first side of the record
because it was too difficult to align side B of the record with the same place on
the CD. I also switched between both sources roughly every two minutes.
---> Is CD Or Vinyl
Better?
World Premiere Review!
Rogue Audio RP-9 Vacuum Tube Stereo
Preamplifier Review
Exceeding the listener's expectations.
Review By Bob Grossman
Rogue
Audio's RP-9 is the latest flagship preamplifier from the ingenious
designs of the American manufacturing workshop of Mark O'Brien. Having an
interest in doing this review of the new RP-9 was a simple decision as a
long-time user of the Rogue RP-7. I have been using the remarkable
powerhouse Rogue Apollo Dark Amps for several years as both a sonic and output
upgrade to my previously owned Rogue 180 Amplifiers that were used to run Magnepan 3.6
speakers. I replaced the Maggie 3.6 speakers with their 20.7
models several years ago and needed more powerful amps. I wondered if the
increased musical experience of moving further up in the Rogue Amplifier line
was going to be repeated with their new preamplifier by going from the RP-7 to
the RP-9 model. However, before proceeding and hearing the RP-9, I
wondered what was going on since the RP-7 has received numerous accolades, recognition, and
rewards. Could designer Mark O'Brien improve upon the noteworthy RP-7 that I
have been enjoying?
--->
Rogue Audio RP-9 vacuum tube stereo preamplifier review.
World Premiere Review!
Charisma Audio Musiko Turntable Review
I strongly suspected when listening to the first song with the Musiko that I would buy it.
Review By Rick Becker
The Charisma
Audio Musiko tonearm had already become part of my reference system back
in May 2021. when it was incorporated into my Linn Project — a complete re-make of the fabled Linn LP12 using off-the-shelf, re-engineered parts from several after-market companies. These parts were sourced from Great Britain, Canada, Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Colorado. By the time I finished, the only original OEM parts were the suspension springs and
grommets, the belt, the sub-chassis nuts and bolts, and the wood plinth. While there were lots of lovely alternatives, I kept the original wood plinth out of sentimentality. I was quite proud of the results, having greatly improved on the original vintage table — not unlike the way Carroll Shelby made over the British AC Ace into the Cobra sports car, except I did it on a kitchen countertop and never got around to racing it. I nicknamed it the Bard for reasons
I'll let you figure out.
---> Charisma Audio Musiko Turntable
Review.
Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Stand-Mounted Loudspeaker Review
A sense of performance that gets out of the way of your music.
Review By Simon Lucas
Getting to 'Series
3' of the Bowers & Wilkins 705 stand-mounting loudspeaker has been a rather
more convoluted process than it might seem at first glance. You might imagine
that 'S3' replaces 'S2', which in turn replaced 'S1' (or perhaps just '705') –
but you'd be wrong. Getting to '705 S3' initially required there to be an original
'705', it's true. But after this, the entire 700 range (for reasons no one cares
to remember) became the 'CM' range. 'CM' didn't remain a thing for all that
long, and was replaced by the 'S2' range of 700 models. Then the 705 S2 (and the
702 S2 floorstander) were singled out for the Bowers & Wilkins 'Signature'
treatment – I reviewed the 705 Signature in issue 187 of this very magazine.
These 'Signature' editions ran alongside the 'vanilla' S2 models on which they
were based.
--->
Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Stand-Mounted Loudspeaker Review.
World Premiere Review!
Synergistic Research Master Fuse Review
Take a leap of faith and trust your own ears.
Review By Rick Becker
Andy
Weiderspahn was away at the Florida Audio Expo when news broke of their new
Master fuse so Kevin Sample stepped up and obtained permission for me to receive
some review samples. Having previously reviewed the Black, Blue, Orange, and
Purple fuses over the years I was eager to investigate this new version —
especially because of the hype that went along with the introduction. Obviously,
it is not named with a color. More alarmingly, it takes a large jump in price
over the Purple fuses that grace much of my system. But most importantly, it
claims to be such an improvement over the Purple that they recommend using only
one, primarily in your source component, two at most. This last point softens
the blow of the price jump. The Master is said to work well with lesser
Synergistic fuses that may already grace your system.
---> Synergistic Research Master Fuse
Review.
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