Kevin Deal is known as “uncle Kevvy” to many mail-order customers at his store, Upscale Audio, in Upland, California. He’s an enthusiastic guy, and a bit of a softie, always volunteering to make shoppers a […]
In these times of $150,000 speakers, $60,000 amps and cable that can approach those two numbers combined, it always warms my heart to see a company set its sights on a more affordable niche in […]
Baron Timothy de Paravicini is a name I instantly associate with exquisite-sounding audio gear. He was involved with legendary brands like Luxman, Quad, and Musical Fidelity – works closely with a number of high-end recording […]
I thought about starting this report on Einstein Audio Components with some would-be snappy play on the company’s name, such as “Einstein really did its math in Newport,” or T.H.E. Show = MC2 for Einstein.” […]
“Two channel with attitude” is what it says at the top of the Highwater Sound room’s gear listing page that Jeffrey Catalano handed me at T.H.E. Show after I had crawled around the room like […]
When I entered the Nola/Valve Amplification Co. room at T.H.E. show in Newport, a distinctive repeating pattern of delicately plucked notes began playing. As the rhythm line continued on the acoustic guitar, suddenly there […]
It’s notoriously difficult for audio manufacturers to present consistently outstanding sound from show to show, with the vagaries of hotel rooms, onsite power and a sometimes constantly shifting assortment of partners bringing other gear. […]
There’s one lonely brick-and-mortar stereo shop left near my home town, run by an enthusiast who’s hung in there for more than three decades. In that time he’s handled many lines, seen it all and […]
You can tell when a high-end company begins to reach a certain buzz level in the industry: it usually starts showing up in multiple rooms at shows, both highlighting its own gear and being chosen […]
Precision Tranducer Engineering‘s (PTE) high output (790 watts in total, with 400 watts of Class A/B on tap), bi-amped reference monitor goes by the name Phoenix. A ballsy name in some ways as it evokes […]
I’m an electrostatic guy. I own three pairs of floorstanding panel speakers (that could increase to four soon but don’t mention it to my wife just yet). And I even have an old pair […]
It was late in the day, and I returned again to the fabulous Merrill Audio room at T.H.E. Show 2016. Merrill Wettasinghe dropped the needle on a VPI Avenger Signature turntable, and I could watch […]
If VTL’s megawatt Siegfried amplifier were a boxer, it would be a heavyweight champ who was still striking fear into rivals many years after its first fight. Indeed, a number of challengers have risen up […]
Some rooms at a hi-fi show you walk into, and you just instantly go “Ahhhhhhh…” The Brigadiers room was like that, and when I darted into the GamuT room, I got the same vibe. That […]
NEWPORT 2016: NORDOST Nordost came out swinging at T.H.E. Show assembling a beautiful room of all-star components that just sang together and included the largest turntable isolation base seen since since I started this hobby. Nordost was […]
Many audio system demos take place in dimly-lit rooms. I think sales reps feel this adds some mystique to the gear being auditioned, and maybe allows the listener to better focus on the sound and […]
I usually come away from every audio show with at least one piece of gear that I am seriously smitten with. Normally that feeling, after a closer look at my bank statement, quickly fades away. […]
In the 1990s, it seemed that Madrigal Audio Laboratories’ Mark Levinson brand could do little wrong. Even though the company’s namesake founder no longer was involved, the remaining team continued to bring to market a […]
Gordon Burwell, president and founder of San Francisco-based Burwell & Sons, recently saved a load of vintage burl walnut from becoming firewood. Instead, the material wound up being used for a smokin’ new pair of […]
Back at RMAF 2013, I got to experience the MSB Analog DAC. It was their entry level DAC priced at $6995. 2 minutes into listening, it was clear…. I wanted to hear more and more of […]
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