LATEST ADDITIONS

Re-Tales
Re-Tales #41: Vintage Hi-Fi, Old and New, a Visit to Aural HiFi
Julie Mullins  |  Apr 03, 2024  |  7 comments
Many audiophiles and serious music lovers are passionate about vintage. Vintage has become a popular "way in" to the hobby, especially popular among younger folks. Reasons vary. Many—perhaps most—are seeking more bang for the buck than you can get buying new. Others prefer classic sound and aesthetics: that special vintage vibe. At least a few inherit or receive vintage pieces from audiophile parents; others come across a beautiful bargain they can't resist. An important niche in our hobby thinks vintage equipment simply sounds better than the new stuff.

Not every vintage piece sounds good, however, and not every piece is a bargain. Some can be quite expensive. And most that aren't are in need of expensive refurbishment to look and sound their best. Even once restored, they usually require more care, maintenance, and patience than a new piece would require. It's a lot to take in for those new to the hobby.

Jeremy Irwin, owner and "stereo archaeologist" at the vintage-focused dealer Aural HiFi in Denver, has been there himself.

Continue Reading »
Montreal Audiofest 2024
Closing Words
Robert Schryer  |  Apr 02, 2024  |  8 comments
By noon Friday, the 2024 35th edition of the Montreal Audiofest had sold more admission tickets than it had the entire weekend last year, which is great news for the organizers and industry. For the audio reporter seeking a listening seat, never mind in the sweet spot or a good angle to take a photo, it required I do more strategizing than usual, including negotiating several out-of-show-hour visits with exhibitors.
Continue Reading »
Aural Robert
Vinyl Me Please Reissues Guy Clark's Old No. 1
Robert Baird  |  Apr 02, 2024  |  1 comments
Recently, a letter to the editor from Len Eggert arrived in Stereophile's digital mailbox that closed with a question: "How about coverage of other notable 'outlaw' singer-songwriters who shunned Nashville and put Austin on the musical map: Guy Clark? Kris Kristofferson? Jerry Jeff Walker? Waylon Jennings? Billie Joe Shaver? David Allan Coe? Are you listening, Robert Baird?"

Timely if nothing else, that email came just after I had serendipitously acquired a new-to-my-collection, first-pressing LP copy of the first Guy Clark album, Old No. 1.

Continue Reading »
Montreal Audiofest 2024
Moon by Simaudio, Estelon, Cardas Audio
Robert Schryer  |  Mar 31, 2024  |  28 comments

I heard rarefied, potently musical sound (out-of-this-world sound? hehe) in the Moon by Simaudio room.

Continue Reading »
Montreal Audiofest 2024
Atelier Audio: Diptyque, Kora, Aqua Acoustic, Ocellia, Puritan Audio Laboratories, Plixir
Robert Schryer  |  Mar 31, 2024  |  0 comments

Atelier Audio's room was buzzing the couple of times I'd passed by to peer inside, and I don't mean some sort of transformer noise. I mean with people. It was consistently abuzz with visitors. Luckily, I was eventually able to snatch a seat during an Atelier Audio demo; then I understood why this room was so popular.

Continue Reading »
Montreal Audiofest 2024
Lemay Audio, Dayton Wright Hommage, Tenor Audio, Grimm Audio, Silversmith, Inakustik, Network Acoustics, Modulum Arkitek, Baetis Audio, iFi Audio
Robert Schryer  |  Mar 31, 2024  |  0 comments

Another highlight of the Montreal Audiofest was the system in the Lemay Audio room, which included a pair of the company's electrostatic Dayton-Wright Hommage 9.3 loudspeakers ($68,000).

Continue Reading »
Montreal Audiofest 2024
Audiophile Experts: Accuphase, DALI, Grandioso, Esoteric, Luna Cables
Robert Schryer  |  Mar 31, 2024  |  0 comments

It's always a pleasure to visit an exhibit room put together by Audiophile Experts because the retailer's setups and recordings tend to sound top notch, and you won’t hear these recordings elsewhere at a show.

Continue Reading »
Montreal Audiofest 2024
Passion Audio: Shindo, Wolf von Langa, J.Sikora, Luna Cables, Wattson, HANA, Fezz Audio
Robert Schryer  |  Mar 31, 2024  |  1 comments

Retailer Passion Audio just opened a few months ago on Montreal's South Shore, which is where I live. I couldn't be more pleased about that after listening to the artisinal, gorgeous-sounding, soul-of-the-music-capturing equipment it demoed at the Audiofest.

Continue Reading »
Montreal Audiofest 2024
Gershman Acoustics, Eon Art, Oracle Audio, Cardas Audio
Robert Schryer  |  Mar 31, 2024  |  2 comments
Gershman Acoustics are habitual show exhibitors and it shows. They know how to tease out good sound from an acoustically-challenging hotel room. They've also found a synergistic match for their products with those from their longstanding exhibit partners Eon Art, Oracle Audio, and Cardas Audio, with whom they reunited for this show to present two systems, a smaller one and a bigger one.
Continue Reading »
Montreal Audiofest 2024
Planète Haute-Fidélité: MartinLogan, Hegel, Wattson, Stable 33.33, Reed, EMT, Luna Cables, Cardas Audio, Saturn Audio
Robert Schryer  |  Mar 31, 2024  |  0 comments
My memory isn't good to start with, but I could've sworn I heard substantially more bass coming out of the MartinLogan Expression ESL 13A hybrid electrostatic loudspeakers ($23,500/pair) in Planète Haute-Fidélité's room than during any other visit to the retailer's showroom in past years.
Continue Reading »

Pages

X