A Room With a Vu: TriangleArt Spins Gold
Tom Vu founded TriangleArt in 1999, and he’s not about to let up now.
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LATEST ADDITIONS
Chips Are Still For Chumps
One Saturday not long before press time for this issue, I received an email from Technical Editor (and former Editor) John Atkinson with the subject line, "20 Years Ago."
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"Just read your May 2005 As We See It for the first time in many years," John wrote. "Great stuff!"
Could 20 years really have passed since I wrote that piece? Back then, I was in a different career, indulging my hi-fi passion by contributing to Stereophile on the side; now I'm in my seventh year as Stereophile editor. Then I was still a youngish dude; now I am an oldish dude. "Time flies" just doesn't capture it.
Some readers will surely remember that long-ago editorial. It was about a product dubbed the Intelligent Chip, a small piece ofwell, somethingencased in plastic. I wrote, "This small, plastic-encased device is claimed to permanently improve the sound of CDs. Just place the chip atop your CD player, insert a CD, and press Play. 'The sound of the upgraded disc more closely resembles the sound of the original master recording.'"
Saturday Audio Exchange, Monitor Audio, McIntosh, and AudioQuest: Style from Mars, Sound from Binghamton
With the debut of the futuristic Hyphn loudspeakers ($95,000/pair), Monitor Audio and Chicago’s Saturday Audio Exchange made an unmissable statement.
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Estelon, Vitus, Sonorus, Taiko, Crystal Cable, ART, and Ekustik: A New Kind of Clarity
Aldo Filippelli of Luxury Audio Group brought essentially the same system he showed at the Florida Audio Expo, where Mark Henninger and Julie Mullins filed a comprehensive video report. Familiar or not, the performance was still superb.
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This Tubed Line/Phono Stage Has an IP Address: Manley Labs Goes Remote
At AXPONA 2025’s Ear Gear Experience, Manley Labs president EveAnna Manley unveiled a long-rumored project: the company’s Precision Line and Phono Stage. Designed to marry tube tradition with modern functionality, the unit houses 10 triodes powered by Manley’s proprietary switch-mode supply. Behind its sculpted faceplate are six inputs, each assignable for line-level or RIAA-equalized signals, offering up to 75dB of gain.
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Do-It-All, Done Right? Arcam’s SA45 Makes the Case
Arcam’s $4999 SA45 aims to prove that “do-it-all” and “high-end” can coexist. For the first time at a show, Jim Garrett, a senior director of product strategy & planning at Harman International, gave a live demo of the British brand’s SA45 streaming integrated amplifier.
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Watch Mark Henninger’s interview with Jim Garrett.
DeVore Fidelity, Leben, Well Tempered Lab, Box Furniture: Vinyl, Intention, and the Art of the Demo
John DeVore brings more than music to his rooms: he brings thoughtfulness, a sense of discovery, and superbly curated recordings.
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Jeffrey Catalano’s Show-Stopping System: DaVa Soul, Fuuga, Red Sparrow, Miyajima, TW-Acustic, Alieno, Cessaro, Stein, Codia, Silent Running, Shun Mook, ADD-Powr
High Water Sound’s Jeffrey Catalano could give a master class in room setup. A veteran of hundreds of audio shows, he not only presents exceptional-sounding rooms but also curates adventurous vinyl selections. I invariably leave his room with music titles scribbled in my notebook, like recipes for marvelous dishes.
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AXISS Audio, Soulution Amplification, Telos Power Gear, Acoustic Grove Treatments: Beauty, Brawn, and Billie
Before I heard the new Soulution 717 monoblocks ($109,975 each), I spoke with Cyrill Hammer, Soulution’s CEO and Chief Designer, and Cliff Duffey, President of AXISS Audio. The conversation was illuminating. The listening? Something else entirely.
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Watch our exclusive video interview with Cyrill Hammer and Cliff Duffey.
Recording of May 2025: Joe Henderson: Multiple
Joe Henderson: Multiple
Milestone/Craft CR 00845 (LP). 1973/2025. Orrin Keepnews, prod.; Elvin Campbell, Al Vanderbilt, engs.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
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Milestone/Craft CR 00845 (LP). 1973/2025. Orrin Keepnews, prod.; Elvin Campbell, Al Vanderbilt, engs.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
The essence of jazz is supposed to be the free-flowing exploration of ideas and expressions. Yet hardcore fans of the music have the unnerving habit of supporting and denigrating the work of the same player from record to record. Artistic growth is often seen as a negative. Even devoted fans might not follow an artist who veers off into a stylistic direction they abhor. The classic example is Miles Davis, who went through several artistic reinventions during his long career. Many of those who love Kind of Blue recoil from Dark Magus, On the Corner, or You're Under Arrest. So-called fusionadding influences from rock and/or funkis most often the villain in these judgments.
After starting out as a hard-bop devotee in the early 1960s, with such classic Blue Note sessions as Page One, Our Thing, and Inner Urge, Joe Henderson grew curious about funk, about adding it to his jazz mix. In 1973, on Orrin Keepnews's Milestone label (now owned by the Concord Music Group), Henderson cut Multiple, one of the highlights of his discography.