LATEST ADDITIONS

Listening #198: IsoAcoustics & Audio-Creative

Art Dudley May 21, 2019

It's a toss-up: The house where my family and I lived for 15 years was bigger than the one we have now, and had a much nicer view. On the other hand, we now live in a less economically depressed region, as suggested by the relative scarcity of inflatable lawn decorations. During the last year I saw in my neighborhood far fewer leprechauns, reindeer, Easter Bunnies, purple-and-green Draculas, and turkeys wearing pilgrim hats (which makes about as much sense as Russian soldiers wearing lederhosen). I find those things unspeakably sad, because they're horrible, cheap, gaudy wastes of money.

Integrated Amp Reviews

Exposure Electronics XM5 integrated amplifier

Art Dudley May 21, 2019

Audiophilia is nothing if not nostalgicin fact, it's doubly so. Listening to recorded music is an act of looking back, often with the hope of re-creating some wistfully recalled wonder. On top of that, the zeal to perfect the playback experience, whether by means of better-quality recordings or better hardware, is far less common than it used to be among middle-class consumers. Although in recent years our pastime has surprised with its resilience, we're surely nearer the immolation scene than the Prelude to Act I.

Munich 2019

Göbel Loudspeakers & Cables, Engström Pre and Power, Wadax Digital, Kronos Turntable, Zyx Cartridge

Jason Victor Serinus May 19, 2019

Pretty eye-catching, eh? Such was the class act from Göbel High End, who even brought their own room treatment panels to the show.

Munich 2019

Dynaudio Confidence 30 Loudspeakers and Simaudio Moon Electronics

Jason Victor Serinus May 19, 2019

When Dynaudio’s Mike Manousselis told me that the new Dynaudio Confidence 30 ($20,000/pair) has a new Esotar3 tweeter, I thought of John Atkinson, who praised this company’s tweeters in a review some years back. The new tweeter includes a Hexis inner dome to help dissipate back wave energy and, as with all the other new drivers in the speaker, uses new “ultra-powerful” neodymium magnets.

Munich 2019

Octave Jubilee 300 B, HP-700 preamp, Focal Scala, Clearaudio Master Innovation, Wireworld Cabling

Jason Victor Serinus May 19, 2019

I was never able to take a photo of Octave’s full system, because so many people were walking up to the equipment rack and Focal Scala speakers to ogle Octave’s new Jubilee 300B amplifier (54,000 Euros). (That’s what happens when you display in one of the big glass-entranced spaces surrounding three sides of the first floor Atriums in the MOC.) You’ll have to settle for this photo, taken of a static display on the other side of the room divider from the active system.

Munich 2019

Cube Audio Nenuphar Loudspeakers, Teutron TU 2A3/50S-1 Amplifier, Lampizator Big 7 DAC

Herb Reichert May 18, 2019

At AXPONA 2019 and now at High End 2019, Cube Audio demonstrated their beautifully finished complete speakers, like the €16,000 Nenuphar that I would die to hear in my own system.

Munich 2019

Gershman Grand Avant Garde Loudspeakers, VTL Amplification

Herb Reichert May 18, 2019

Without forethought, at every audio show I attend, I inevitably end up smiling, relaxed, and happy in the Gershman Acoustics room. Especially lately, when the always-cheerful Ofra Gershman is playing the $13k/pair Grand Avant Garde floor-standing loudspeakers.

Munich 2019

More from Munich: Aries Cerat Symponia Loudspeakers, Cerat Erevus 5 Basshorn System, Achilleas Legend SET Amplifier, Impera II Reference Preamplifier

Herb Reichert May 18, 2019

I quit smoking before cigarettes hit $5/pack. I sold my last car, a nickel green 1977 Mercedes 300D, for $500. But I have sold a lot of six-figure audio amplifiers, and clearly, the juicy audio good stuff—the super-exotic—blows everybody’s mind. 1893 Chateau Lafite Rothschild gear is out of the reach of the lumpen proletariat. But so what? It is still cool and spectacularly wild and a blast to listen to, which anyone can do at an audio show. Take the all-out Aries Cerat system Joshua Masongsong of Believe High Fidelity was showing at Munich 2019. Have you ever heard anything like this?

Solid State Preamp Reviews

Pass Laboratories XP-22 line preamplifier

Jim Austin May 17, 2019

For those who listen with their ears and not their brain, perfectionist hi-fi offers many surprises.

A friend called me up a few weeks ago and asked if the DAC we both own had received an automatic firmware update he hadn't heard about; something had changed, it wasn't good, and he couldn't figure out what it was. His system's sound was suddenly pale and unfocused.

There had been no firmware update.

Budget Component Reviews Media Server Reviews

Pro-Ject Audio Systems Stream Box S2 Ultra network bridge

John Atkinson May 17, 2019

I have reviewed several network-connected music servers in recent years, from Antipodes, Aurender, and NAD. All performed well but are relatively expensive, and their associated player apps didn't equal Roon's user friendliness in terms of interface, organization of the library, and inclusion and updating of metadata. So when Roon Labs introduced their own server, the Nucleus+, I first reviewed and then purchased it, along with a lifetime subscription to Roon. But at $2498 without an internal drive for storing music files, the Nucleus+ is still relatively expensive, and even Roon's less-powerful Nucleus costs $1398. I was still on the lookout for a server that would be more accessible to our budget-minded readers.