LATEST ADDITIONS

Musical Fidelity has announced the B1xi, a new integrated amplifier that marks the debut of its reimagined B-Series. Drawing inspiration from the original B1 released in the 1990s, the B1xi features a fully discrete class-A/B design and omits displays and wireless streaming in favor of analog simplicity.

AudioQuest has announced Brave Heart, a new ZERO-Tech speaker cable positioned below its Mythical series in price but incorporating many of the same materials and design principles.

Stereophile readers are surely aware of the tariff situation under the current administration—a situation that has changed rapidly, often daily. The tariff penalty—and arguably even more, the lack of economic stability resulting from tariff volatility—has a major impact on buying, pricing, and corporate strategy in the hi-fi industry. Hi-fi is just one of many industries experiencing the impacts of increased costs and uncertainty.

Ray Kimber founded his enterprise in the late 1970s, and for the last half-century has withstood the ravages of this difficult market. He first got involved in cable technology while addressing the problems of induced interference in audio connections where high-power installation lighting was involved, especially early thyristor-controlled systems.

I hadn't come across the distributor Aaudio Imports for a time—I learned they had moved from Colorado, to California—so it was interesting to see what was new in their world. In a rather large room, Laguna 1, the speakers were striking, even unusual looking. They are from AudioNec, a French brand that Aaudio recently began importing.

By my estimation, this year's High End hi-fi show—the last in Munich before the world's largest audio show moves to Vienna—was a major success, perhaps the first I've attended since the pandemic that managed to completely escape that shadow. Every day but Sunday it was very busy—sometimes too busy; on the busiest days, the hallways at the MOC convention center reminded me of NYC's Fifth Avenue on Black Friday, an experience I've had once and hope to never have again. Most important: I heard a lot of really good sound.

Just Biber
Rachel Podger, baroque violin; Brecon Baroque
Channel Classics CCS48525 (Reviewed in DSD128 and 24/96 PCM). 2025. Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Prod.; Jared Sacks, Eng./Edit/Master
Performance *****
Sonics *****