BMG and Concord to merge
Tom Fine reports on the impending merger between BMG Rights Management GmbH, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann Group, and Concord Music Group.
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Brilliant Corners #38: Listening to the Aidas Violet Phono Cartridge
Aidas Svazas is an artisan residing in Lithuania's second largest city, Kaunas. Svazas started out as a cartridge repairman, and our first encounter took place when, on a friend's recommendation, I sent him a Fairchild 225-A, a mono cartridge from the 1950s, to be restored.
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DeVore Fidelity at AXPONA 2026: No artifice, no coloration, no problem
Two AXPONA veterans who don't know each other told Rogier van Bakel separately that they considered the system in the DeVore Fidelity room one of the highlights of the 2026 show—so off to room 646 he went to check it out for himself.
Esoteric at AXPONA 2026
At AXPONA 2026, Ken Micallef speaks with Esoteric's Hiroyuki "Hiro" Machida about the gear shown in one of the company's rooms at the show, including an Esoteric K-05XD SACD player, Esoteric N-05XE network DAC/preamplifier, and Esoteric S-05XE amplifier.
Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 Bluetooth/Wired Headphones
The first headphones I owned, circa mid-1970s, were made by Pioneer. They jutted out from my ears, with small, paper-cone speakers inside. "Head-Fi" is a whole different world nowadays than it was back then. The biggest change is Bluetooth, which lets us untether ourselves from our stereo systems.
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Vandersteen at AXPONA 2026: A family affair 50 years in the making
At AXPONA 2026, Rogier van Bakel checks out a system put together by Wisconsin retailer Ultra Fidelis that features Vandersteen M5-HPA monoblock amplifiers, a Vandersteen L5-ACC Audio Control Center, and Vandersteen Kento loudspeakers.
Re-Tales #65: Albany, New York dealer Hippo's Gets Hip
With the hi-fi business, arguably, at a critical juncture, keeping it fun is more important than ever. Hi-fi salespeople play a key role in that—they're the boots on the ground. If anyone is going to foster interest and imbue the hobby with fun, it's salespeople.
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Orpheus Lab and Peak Consult at AXPONA 2026: Swiss and Danish, loud and clear
Rogier van Bakel visits a room at AXPONA 2026 that featured a collaborative exhibit from importer and distributor Bluebird Music pairing Swiss precision with Danish craftsmanship. The system he auditioned in that room included Peak Consult Sonora loudspeakers and a stack of Orpheus Lab electronics gear from their Absolute Line.
Marten Mingus Septet Statement Edition loudspeaker
As I prepared this review of the Marten Mingus Septet Statement Edition loudspeaker ($199,000/pair), I asked the Marten people to tell me something about the company and its values.
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American Sound and Avantgarde Acoustic at AXPONA 2026
At AXPONA 2026, Ken Micallef speaks with Avantgarde Acoustic's International Sales Manager Jérôme Andre about the gear shown in American Sound's room at the show, including Avantgarde Acoustic Opus 1 speakers, an AirTight ATC-6 preamplifier, and a Synthesis Embrace HDP 300B headphone amplifier.