AudioQuest releases sixth iteration of its DragonFly USB-connected DAC/headphone amplifier
AudioQuest has just released the sixth iteration of its popular DragonFly USB-connected DAC/headphone amplifier. Tom Fine has all the details.
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Dirac Live ART room-correction software for PC and Mac
I have been fascinated with Dirac, the Swedish audio-optimization software company, ever since I noticed the Dirac booth in the back at CEDIA 2010 in Atlanta. This was not a demonstration but a tease, a tantalizing promise of a cure for problematic listening room acoustics using digital filters to adjust loudspeaker response in both the frequency and time domains
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Spin Doctor #40: Turntable Drive Mechanisms & the Esoteric T1 turntable
Making a turntable's platter spin at exactly 331/3 rotations per minute sounds like it should be an easy task, but in fact it's hard to do precisely. Just getting the platter to turn is easy enough, but there are two forces trying to stop the platter that you need to overcome: friction from the bearing that supports the platter, and friction from the stylus riding in the groove.
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ReVinylization #78: Music from Big Pink, an Americana Vinyl Reissue
Forget the slick 1970s country-folk rock of the Eagles, America, or Pure Prairie League. The Band was the real deal. Their sound—a blend of Appalachian folk, Cajun, blues, rock'n'roll, country, and R&B—was earned in the trenches, gigging through the rural South and learning the ropes from the masters of that music.
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Pearl Acoustics Model One loudspeaker
The quest to review the Pearl Acoustics Model One began at the 2025 Montreal Audiofest. It was there I crossed paths in a hallway with Galion Audio's Thomas Tan. "Rob! Rob!" he called out through a stream of visitors between us. "You have to hear my TS A20 power amp driving Pearl Acoustics speakers!"
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Elekit TU-8888 monoblock power amplifier
Spend as much time prowling audio websites as I do, and a pattern becomes clear. They're full of glamour shots of shiny products, promises of performance never before experienced, and cherry-picked pullquotes from reviews. The website of Japanese audio concern Elekit is a different kind of experience.
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New owner of Jadis ups warranty, plans new products
Almost six months after purchasing French audio manufacturer Jadis from Jean-Christophe Calmettes, Jérémie Malfroot (shown above) announced a lifetime warranty for the company's output transformers and 10-year warranties on all other parts.
Gramophone Dreams #112: Audio Note IO II phono cartridge & Audio Note AN-S4L SUT
When I began writing for Stereophile in 2014, I decided not to mention Audio Note. I decided this because during the best part of the 1990s, I enthusiastically represented both Audio Note UK and Audio Note Japan (Kondo). I did not want my new readers thinking my Stereophile review stories were biased by my previous affiliations.
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Sound Chaser #12: Tom Petty's Right-Hand Guitar Man Heads Up The Dirty Knobs
Mike Campbell is a consummate support artist. He was Tom Petty's right-hand guitar man for 47 years, first with Florida swamp-rockers Mudcrutch, later as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, then ultimately extending his reach to support Petty's solo endeavors.
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EISA Hi-Fi Awards 2026-2027
EISA, or the Expert Imaging and Sound Association, is an organization representing 53 of the most respected special interest publications and websites from 26 countries that cover Hi-Fi, Home Theater, Photography, Mobile Devices, and In-Car Electronics. Every year EISA's Expert Group members, including editors from this publication, test a very wide range of new products from their field of expertise before comparing results and voting to decide on the cream of every product category.
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