FiiO M27 Headphone DAC Amplifier Released

Audio Advice Acquires The Sound Room

LATEST ADDITIONS

News

Update TV & Stereo Elevated opens in Unionville, Ontario

Robert Deutsch May 05, 2014

It's no secret that brick-and-mortar stores have had a rough time lately, with closures at an alarming rate. It's rare to encounter a new store that is devoted to high-performance audio and video. A store that fits this description opened recently in the picturesque village of Unionville, just outside Toronto.

News

Site Update: Note To Our Readers

Jon Iverson May 02, 2014

We've updated our site platform this weekend and changed a few things.

Log in to the site is now located at the right end of the nav bar at top.

We apologize that any comments that you might have added this weekend have been lost. There are still a few minor issues we are fixing, so please bear with us.

News

Note To Our Readers

Jon Iverson May 02, 2014

Due to some upgrades we are making to this web site, posting comments or gallery photos will be disabled this weekend.

Robert Baird

A New Pixies Album

Robert Baird May 02, 2014

Although they were released twenty years ago, they are four albums possessed of a timeless beauty

CD Player/Transport Reviews Media Server Reviews

NAD Masters Series M50 Digital Music Player & M52 Digital Music Vault

John Atkinson May 02, 2014

"Physical discs are so 20th century," I wrote back in 2006, when I began experimenting with using, in my high-end rig, a computer as a legitimate source of music. These days I rarely pop a disc into my Ayre Acoustics C-5xe^MP disc player, unless it's an SACD I want to hear, or a CD I haven't yet ripped into my library. But many audiophiles, even if attracted to the idea of using a file-based system as a primary music source, do not want a computer in their listening rooms. Nor do they want to be bothered by the fact that a computer demands too intimate a relationship with its user.

Tube Power Amp Reviews

Raven Audio Spirit 300B Reference Stereo power amplifier

Art Dudley May 02, 2014

No one can say precisely how or when the ancient 300B triode tube made its cross-kingdom leap to the modern world of consumer audio, but we've got the where pretty much nailed down: It all began in Asia, where the best of the West is sometimes held in reverence rather than left to drown in consumerism's wake. Asia is the final resting place for the great Western Electric cinema systems of the 1940sand that's where the 300B earned its un-American second act. By the mid-1990s, the tube had captured the hearts of hobbyists who, consciously or not, sensed that the audio refineries of the day had lost the plot, not to mention the body.

Media Server Reviews

Sony HAP-Z1ES high-resolution file player

Kalman Rubinson May 02, 2014

I've said it before and I'll say it again: High-end audio is the tail of the dog that is the consumer audio business. We have little leverage in determining where the technology is going, even though we undoubtedly know more about it than the average buyer. On the other hand, after the mainstream has determined where it's going (or thinks it's going), the high-end business must accept that, and try to optimize it for those of us who care deeply about getting the best sound. The ubiquitous iPod and its fellow MP3 players kicked off the playing of music files and allowed listeners to carry around their music wherever they went.

Tube Power Amp Reviews Audacious Audio

VTL Siegfried Series II Reference monoblock power amplifier

Michael Fremer May 02, 2014

Big tube amplifiers were once scary monsters reserved for those who didn't mind heavy maintenance, careful tweaking, and the occasional explosion. Blown tubes required replacing, preferably with pricey matched pairs, then biasing with a voltmeter. Optimal sonic performance required regular bias monitoring and adjusting, and because of current surges on startup, you had to choose between leaving the heat-producing monoliths on, or turning them on and off for each listening session, thus shortening the life of the tubes.

News

Wilson/Bricasti Event Saturday at New Hampshire's Fidelis

Stereophile Staff May 01, 2014

Saturday, May 3, 15pm, Fidelis, located at 460 Amherst Street, Nashua, NH will host a seminar and open house with Peter McGrath of Wilson Audio (above) to celebrate and present Wilson Audio's new Sasha 2 loudspeaker. Brian Zolner of Bricasti Design will be on hand to talk about digital solutions and his highly regarded Bricasti M1 DAC, and Stereophile Senior Editor John Marks will be on hand to share his industry insights. Refreshments will be served. RSVP is appreciated: email store@fidelisav.com or call (603) 880-4434.

AXPONA 2014

AXPONA 2014: Summing it Up

Jason Victor Serinus May 01, 2014

From whatever vantage point you choose, AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) 2014 in Chicago's Westin O'Hare was a major success. Attendance on opening day, Friday, April 25, was quite robust, and the feeling in the hallway and in rooms was extremely positive. Saturday was mobbed, with standees in many rooms during peak hours, and hallways buzzing.