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LATEST ADDITIONS

Analog Corner #295: Rega Planar 10 turntable, RB3000 tonearm, Apheta 3 phono cartridge

Michael Fremer Feb 18, 2020

Lately it seems that the more Rega charges for one of its turntables, the less you getand from Rega's performance perspective that's a good thing.

While some turntable designs pile on the mass, hoping to tame resonances and better isolate the record from the outside world, Rega has long advocated ultralow-mass designs. What's up with that?

News

Analog Manufaktur Germany (AMG) Event in Wisconsin

Stereophile Staff Feb 16, 2020

Thursday, February 20, 7:00–10:00pm: Garth Leerer and Ken Bowers from Musical Surroundings, importers of AMG turntables and Hana phono cartridges, will be at Ultra Fidelis HiFi, 7125 W. North Avenue, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, demonstrating the new AMG Viella Forte turntable.

Florida Audio Expo 2020

FLAX 2020 Recap, plus Magico M6 Speakers, Luxman C-900u Amplifier and M-900u Monoblock Amps, Von Schweikert Ultra 11 Speakers, VAC Statement Electronics, MBL 101e MK II Loudspeakers, Avid Analog Front End, Critical Mass Racks, Børresen 01 Speakers

Julie Mullins Feb 16, 2020

This marks the end of our Florida Audio Expo 2020 coverage, but before I wrap things up, I'd like to mention a few more standout rooms with super systems.

Florida Audio Expo 2020

MC Audiotech Forty-10 Loudspeaker, Linear Tube Audio MicroZOTL Preamplifier, ZOTL Ultralinear Amplifier, and Reference 40 Amplifier

Julie Mullins Feb 16, 2020

The MC Audiotech Forty-10 ($35,000) is probably the most exotic speaker seen and heard at the Florida Audio Expo.

Cable Reviews

Kimber PBJ interconnect

Corey Greenberg Feb 14, 2020

It's always a jolting, life-renewing Ka-BLAM when a new experience shatters your preconceptions of the order of things. From the moment you realize your dad isn't running right alongside you as you fly down the sidewalk on your first two-wheeler, to when you become a made man, these experiences forever alter how you view yourself and the world around you.

Florida Audio Expo 2020

Wilson Audio Sasha DAW Speakers; VTL TL-7.5 Series III Linestage Preamplifier, MB-185 Series III Signature Monoblock Amplifiers, and TP-2.5i Performance Phonostage; Aurender A10 Music Server/Streamer/DAC; Pro-Ject Xtension 12 Turntable

Julie Mullins Feb 14, 2020

Salon 1 Audio made its first-ever appearance at a high-end audio show with a demo room featuring upper-tier amplification from VTL’s Series III: the TL-7.5 Reference linestage preamplifier ($30,000) and MB-185 Signature monoblock amps ($22,500/pair), and the TP-2.5i Performance phonostage ($5000) paired with a Sumiko Palo Santos MC cartridge ($4500) and a Pro-Ject Xtension 12 turntable ($4500) with a lovely high-gloss mahogany wood plinth.

Florida Audio Expo 2020

Rupert Neve Fidelice Precision DAC, Phono Preamplifier, and Headphone Amplifier, Rosson Audio Designs RAD-0 Headphones, Focal Stellia Headphones, Massdrop x Sennheiser 6XX Headphones

Julie Mullins Feb 14, 2020

Rupert Neve Designs, the legendary pro-audio maker of recording studio consoles and other equipment for concert halls and beyond, has expanded its product offerings for the home-audio marketie, music lovers and audiophileswith its new Fidelice series, including a full-featured DAC/controller with Neve's analog circuitry and an AKM-based DAC chip inside, a phono preamp, and a headphone amp. The three Fidelice components share a retro-modern look with matte aluminum casings with inlayed mahogany wood on top, red-accented control dials, little throw switches, LED lights, and tiny text that reminded me a bit of my first piece of gear, an oldie-but-goodie Advent 300 receiver. Their form factor is distinctive too: trapezoidal with rounded edges, with the DAC housed in a larger chassis.

Florida Audio Expo 2020

Endow Audio T35 Speaker, Hegel H590 Integrated Amplifier, VAC Sigma 170i Integrated Amplifier

Julie Mullins Feb 14, 2020

Offering a "sneak preview" before the official debut at AXPONA 2020, Endow Audio introduced the latest iteration of its speaker, the piano-black T35 ($19,900), a two-way with a patent-pending Point Array and a 12-inch woofer. It may be rather otherworldly in appearance (grilles are included) but rather unique in its approach. Basically, it consists of an array of nine full-range 3" drivers configured with a single 8" loading driver to create a point source. The woofer takes over frequencies at 100Hz (and below) via an inboard passive crossover. The T35 also contains patent-pending Passive Signal Processor (PSP) technology.

CD Player/Transport Reviews J. Gordon Holt

Tandberg 3015A CD player

J. Gordon Holt Feb 13, 2020

Tandberg of Norway has a rather ambiguous corporate image among audio perfectionists. Long considered to make some of the best tape-recording equipment around, the firm has never been seen as a leader in electronics, despite some boldand reportedly good-soundingforays into the realm of $2000 preamps and $3500 power amplifiers. Perhaps this is why, when Tandberg started making CD players, high-enders were uncertain how to respond.

Florida Audio Expo 2020

AMG Giro Turntable, DS Audio E1 Optical Phono Cartridge System, Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum III Integrated Amplifier, Magnepan .7 Speakers, Wireworld Cables

Julie Mullins Feb 13, 2020

On Sunday morning I eased into my rounds with the Musical Surroundings folks: In conjunction with local dealer Sweet Home Audio, they presented a sweet-sounding, straight-up analog setup that featured several products at (relatively) more affordable price points than is sometimes the case.