PS Audio at AXPONA 2026: The joke was on me
Rogier van Bakel investigates the large PS Audio room at AXPONA 2026, and he has a special, unexpected listening experience while checking out the company's lineup of Aspen speakers.
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Axiss Audio, Bel Canto Design, Transrotor, and Franco Serblin at AXPONA 2026
At AXPONA 2026, Ken Micallef speaks with Axiss Audio's Steve Huntley and Bel Canto Design's President Michael McCormick about the gear shown in another one of the Axiss rooms at the show, including a Transrotor Dark Star turntable, Bel Canto Design Black system—which includes the ESC2 system controller and MPS2 monoblock amplifiers—and Franco Serblin Accordo Unica speakers.
YG Acoustics, Moon by Simaudio, and Taiko Audio at AXPONA 2026
Rogier van Bakel reports on the massive system he encountered in the YG Acoustics room at AXPONA 2026—featuring YG's Titan speakers, four Moon by Simaudio's 888 monoblocks, and Taiko Audio's Olympus music server—and how he (and they) had to overcome from-the-hallway demo intrusions.
Fern & Roby at AXPONA 2026
At AXPONA 2026, Ken Micallef speaks with Fern & Roby's Christopher Hildebrand about the gear shown in the company's room at the show, including a Fern & Roby The Archival turntable, Linear Tube Audio ZOTL Ultralinear power amplifier, and Fern & Roby Raven II bookshelf speakers.
PS Audio PMG Signature line preamplifier
I view preamplifiers the way my dog views vacuum cleaners: warily and a bit mystified by their existence. The less-is-more, straight-wire-with-gain approach has always seemed the correct one to me. The preamps I own often sit forlornly in my gear closet until I am in temporary need of their services.
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AudioVision San Francisco Presents The Reference Listening Experience on May 16-17, 2026
The Reference Listening Experience, a two-day event focusing on the latest and greatest hi-fi from around the world, will take place at AudioVision San Francisco next weekend on May 16-17, 2026.
A waterfall of sound: Magico S7 speakers debut at AXPONA 2026
In a large but low-slung space on the 15th floor of the Schaumburg Renaissance, Magico premiered its S7 speakers at AXPONA 2026, the culminating statement in the company's S Series. Rogier van Bakel reports on his S7 "sonic waterfall" experience.
Meitner MA3i Integrated D/A processor
"Is the Meitner MA3i integrated DAC ($11,500) sufficiently different from its predecessor to warrant a full review?" That's the question Editor Jim Austin posed as he contemplated the alternative: a shorter follow-up to my 2022 review of the now discontinued MA3 ($10,500).
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Consonance and Western HiFi at AXPONA 2026
At AXPONA 2026, Ken Micallef speaks with Western HiFi's Mike Stephens about the gear shown in the company's room at the show, including a Consonance Linear200 MkII integrated amplifier, Consonance Compact Monitors, and a Well Tempered Lab Amadeus Jr/T3 turntable.
BMG and Concord to merge
Tom Fine reports on the impending merger between BMG Rights Management GmbH, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann Group, and Concord Music Group.