June 2026 Rock/Pop Record Reviews
Avalon Emerson: Written into Changes; Rick Vito: Slidemaster; Paul Weller: Weller at the BBC (Vol. 2); Tedeschi Trucks Band: Future Soul.
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LATEST ADDITIONS
MSB Technology displays a titanic trio of DACs at High End Vienna 2026
Ola Björling speaks with Frank Vermeylen of MSB Technology Europe about the company's formidable, crafted-in-California DAC lineup that includes the brand-new Palisade, the Cascade, and the Sentinel.
Vinylphyle & Definitive Sound
Not long ago, the return of vinyl records was still being labeled a fad—a momentary fascination that given the convenience of the digital world would soon fade. Then around 2022, when vinyl outsold CDs for the first time since 1987, minds began to change.
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Klaudio comes clean at High End Vienna 2026
Ola Björling speaks with Isaac Choi of Klaudio at High End Vienna 2026 about the company's new KD-CLN-LP200U ultrasonic record-cleaning machine, in addition to their Magnezar auto-clamping and non-clamping turntables and Tangential tracking tonearm.
Zen & Quality Audio
If you had to describe the kind of audio system that you would like to have, with only one word, what word would you choose? Some would choose the word "quality." In a book titled Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, from 1974, Robert Pirsig considers the word and concept as a fundamental way of thinking about things that encompasses both reason and feelings.
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Entre Nous: Ideon Audio streams on at High End Vienna 2026
Ola Björling speaks with George Ligerakis of Ideon Audio at High End Vienna 2026 about the company's new Nous streamer/DAC that features an optional analog preamplifier section.
BennyAudio Odyssey turntable
International audio shows are a white-knuckle thrill ride. The moment I first entered one of the four colossal, cathedral-like "Halles" of High End Munich 2024, my brain short-circuited. Among the products that gripped my senses that weekend, the Brutalist allure of the BennyAudio Odyssey Turntable ($45,000) spoke to me loudest.
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ReDiscoveries #14: Real-Life Influencers, Rock'n'Roll Style
Here's what real influencers do: If you're Carl Perkins, every song on your first LP was covered by Beatles. If you're Muddy Waters, the Rolling Stones named their band after one of your songs.. If you're Chuck Berry, you influenced anyone who has ever considered themselves rock'n'rollers. And if you're Johnny Cash, you were the original Outlaw Country artist, and you invented the country-rock nexus.
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Orpheus Lab amps it up at High End Vienna 2026
Ola Björling speaks with Tiago Novo of Orpheus Lab at High End Vienna 2026 about the company's forthcoming A Four N200 integrated streaming amplifier and their new, gargantuan H Three M1400 monoblock amplifier that weighs 330lb (!).
Going Dutch & Dutch at High End Vienna 2026
Ola Björling speaks with Martijn Mensink of Dutch & Dutch at High End Vienna 2026 about the company's new 6c loudspeakers, their RoomMatching technology, and their new app for speaker calibration.