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The Tannoy E11 ($349/pair) is the company's least-expensive model in a wide range of consumer loudspeakers. Tannoy is most often known for its professional models, especially their nearfield, dual-concentric monitors that have become de rigueur on the top of recording consoles. The E11 is a two-way, ported design with a 6.5" woofer and 1" dome tweeter. Both drivers are manufactured by Tannoy, instead of being sourced from a driver manufacturer. The woofer is made from a polyolefin co-polymer, a plastic material with high rigidity and good self-damping properties. To improve power handling and increase sensitivity, the voice-coil is edge-wound on a Kapton former. The surround appears to be made of butyl rubber.

"I thought it would be really nice to have a Christmas compilation done with the highest sound quality possible."

Jones typically goes all in here...

It's that time of the year again. Here are my picks for the 10 Best New Jazz Albums of 2015 and the 3 best reissued/historical albums, with links to reviews that I wrote in this space over the span of the year.

Saturday, December 19, from noon –7pm, Sandy Gross, president of GoldenEar Technology, will be at Manhattan high-end audio retailer Stereo Exchange (627 Broadway, New York) demonstrating GoldenEar loudspeakers, including the Triton One, Stereophile's Joint Loudspeaker of 2015, as well as the new SuperSub XXL. Sandy will also be there to answer all your questions, and to talk about the speakers, the design process and his 40+ years in the audio industry.

Verdi: Aida
Anja Harteros, Aida; Eleonora Buratto, High Priestess; Jonas Kaufmann, Radames; Ekaterina Semenchuk, Amneris; Ludovic Tézier, Amonasro; Erwin Schrott, Ramfis; Marco Spotti, The King; Chorus & Orchestra of Santa Cecilia Academy Rome, Sir Antonio Pappano
Warner Classics 0825646106639 (3 CDs). 2015. Stephen Johns, prod.; Luca Padovano, Giancarlo Ianucci, Claudio Emili, Marco Emili, engs. DDD. TT: 2:26:45
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½

It has been a long time since we've had a big-budget, studio recording of Aida; in fact, the last was from 2001, and it was awful—conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt's attempt to present an intimate (read: "miniaturized") reading of the score, a sort of period-instrument approach with small-voiced singers. In all, Aida has been taken on nearly 30 studio outings (the first was in 1928), and there are "private" and video versions. This is one of the best, with what might arguably be the finest cast one can assemble today.

Thursday, December 17, from 4–8pm, Audio Excellence (661 Chirslea Road, Unit 1, Vaughan, Ontario) will be hosting a special Nordost Event, "Cables, Power, and Accessories: How to get the most from your system." Throughout the evening, Nordost’s VP of North American Sales, Michael Taylor, will be presenting product demonstrations, making cable comparisons, and answering questions. Attendees will be able to take advantage of special pricing on Nordost products for the duration of the event!