by Rafe Arnott Spendor is a speaker brand that has been hand-built by UK craftsmen in Hailsham, Sussex since the ’60s. I imagine them as salt-of-the-Earth types that don’t fanny about and who curse often […]
by Rafe Arnott If you’ve been to an Audio Note UK show room at one of a hundred audio conventions or trade shows in the last decade or so (think Newport Beach coming up, or […]
by Rafe Arnott Imagine my surprise running into Tom Cruise at the Vancouver Audio Show. OK, well it wasn’t exactly Tom Cruise but Andrew Ward of McIntosh could pass for the Risky Business star and […]
by Rafe Arnott Some hi-fi gear just looks the business. You know what I mean? The Focal Grande Utopia loudspeaker, the Da Vinci Gold AAS-Gabriel turntable, the Kondo Ongaku integrated amplifier and to me, the […]
by Rafe Arnott Devialet is one of those brands that seem to either really turn people on or really turn people off. I’ve yet to speak with someone who is familiar with the brand who […]
by Rafe Arnott This was my first time wandering the halls of a hi-fi show, and sitting in several rooms listening to a large and varied spate of gear I kept finding myself settling into […]
by Rafe Arnott You ever seen a big rock ‘n roll show from the front row? How about closer than that? I have. I’ve been a newspaper photographer (among other jobs at a big daily) […]
Have you ever been really surprised by something that you expected to be disappointed by? Think of the time your friend set you up on a blind date and said “trust me…” and the girl […]
By Rafe Arnott It’s a hot, sunny Saturday in Vancouver and every brew pub patio between my place and the SkyTrain station beckons to me like a mermaid to a sailor. But I stay focused. […]
By Rafe Arnott 8:00 p.m. Friday Edward Ku of Element Acoustics in Vancouver has an infectious smile and genuine love for high-end audio. His three room set-ups were well thought out and displayed a real […]
By Rafe Arnott 6:45 p.m. If I’m not tapping my toes or bobbing my head with Johnny Cash cranked then I start to get a bit weirded out. So it was when I sidled into […]
By Rafe Arnott Burnaby, British Columbia, Friday May 8, 5:30 p.m. With no sign of beer imminent as my eyes darted about the large lobby gamely looking for a quick pint, and a terrible thirst […]
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