Playback Distribution Presents a Grand North American Vienna Acoustics Loudspeaker Debut at Audio Advice Live 2026
Focal Attains Utopia at Audio Advice Live 2026
Rega's Royal Analog Experience at Audio Advice Live 2026
Cambridge Audio Rocks and Rules in a Fidelity Imports Room at Audio Advice Live 2026
Fyne Audio and Harmonia Distribution are in Fine Harmony at Audio Advice Live 2026
The Top Turntables, Tonearms, and Cartridges of SouthWest Audio Fest 2026
Welcome to Audio Advice Live 2026!
See How the Degritter Mark II Ultrasonic RCM Cleans an LP!
Reference Analog Shares All the Right Reference Points at SouthWest Audio Fest 2026
Audiophile Newbies Shocked by SRPs at High End Vienna!

LATEST ADDITIONS

Why Hi-Fi Prices Have Risen

I wrote much of this column, including the title, in early April before the Trump administration announced "reciprocal" tariffs on imported goods. A random example: Switzerland, home of CH Precision, darTZeel, Goldmund, Orpheus Lab, Piega, Stenheim, Thorens, and Wattson, among other hi-fi companies, where the tariff is 31%. Before this issue closed, the Trump administration announced a 90-day reprieve for everyone but China, then exempted computers and smartphones (and a few other categories) from the China tariffs. Importers and foreign manufacturers I talked to at AXPONA in April were happy for the reprieve but remained on edge. Uncertainty reigned.
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AXPONA Moon Shot: Dynaudio’s Confidence 20 Speaker Plants Its Flag

Familiar faces, new form.

Before me stood a pair of stand-mounted Dynaudio Confidence 20 active loudspeakers, complete with DSP ($24,000/pair). Larger, higher-quality cousins to the Dynaudio Focus 10 active loudspeakers I reviewed a little over two years ago, the Confidence 20s sounded notably more refined and more convincing. That tracks: Each driver is powered by its own dedicated amplifier. While both models share the same DSP room correction protocol, nearly everything else is an upgrade.

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Recording of June 2025: Alison Krauss & Union Station: Arcadia

Alison Krauss & Union Station: Arcadia
Down The Road Records (16/44.1 FLAC, Qobuz). 2025. Alison Krauss & Union Station, prod.
Performance *****
Sonics ****

When singer/fiddler Alison Krauss was a teenager with a solo album under her belt, she teamed up with some fellow musicians to form Union Station. Starting in 1989, Rounder Records released the band's albums regularly—seven of them including the soundtrack to Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?—ending with 2011's Paper Airplane. Although they continued to play together, most notably in a 2014 tour with Willie Nelson, Krauss and Union Station didn't make it back into the studio for 14 years.

Now Rounder Records' founders have a new label, Down The Road Records, and Krauss and the band have finally reteamed for another album and a major tour.

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Go Big. Get Loud. Win the Morel Biggie

We’re turning up the volume on excitement! Here’s your chance to win the Morel Biggie—a powerhouse of wireless sound engineered for those who crave deep bass, rich detail, and bold design in every beat.

Crafted by audio perfectionists at Morel, the Biggie redefines what a portable speaker can be. Whether you're on the move or making moments at home, this is the speaker that goes all in—just like you.

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