LATEST ADDITIONS

Gramophone Dreams
Gramophone Dreams #97: Jamming With Cans at CanJam NYC
Herb Reichert  |  May 16, 2025
Most of what I know about audio I learned from drag racing. That's where I first recognized the relationship between force, geometry, and sound. When I was barely out of high school, I began consciously picturing sounds as a symphony of forces operating in a Cartesian space. In retrospect, this "Cartesian picturing" was probably inspired by the descriptive geometry class I was taking at Wright junior college in Chicago, but I didn't think of that at the time.
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As We See It
Why Hi-Fi Prices Have Risen
Jim Austin  |  May 15, 2025
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 2025
AXPONA 2025 Wrap: Twelve Floors, 10,910 Visitors, Two Silent Critics
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 14, 2025
Days after AXPONA 2025 wrapped, organizers announced a record 10,910 attendees—a 5% increase over 2024. Trade passes grew by 20%, which either points to a surge in legitimate press coverage or an uptick in blog-based glamor shots (aka audio porn) aimed at securing free entry.
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AXPONA 2025
Audio Research LS2 and S100 Premieres Join Acora in the Living Room
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 14, 2025
I almost missed Audio Research and Acora’s pairing in the “Living Room” area of the mezzanine, adjacent to where people dined and lounged. I waited to stop by until first thing on Sunday morning, when music wasn’t blasting and people were in a far mellower mood than on eager-beaver Friday or crowded Saturday.
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AXPONA 2025
AXPONA Moon Shot: Dynaudio’s Confidence 20 Speaker Plants Its Flag
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 14, 2025

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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AXPONA 2025
AXISS Builds the Whole System: Gauder, Soulution, Bluesound, TARA Labs, and More
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 14, 2025
One advantage of distributing multiple categories of carefully chosen top-quality products is that you can assemble entire systems while remaining with your own network. Thus did AXISS Audio present room after room of sterling AXISS family systems on multiple floors.
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AXPONA 2025
Ohm My God: Turnbull Audio’s Statement-Grade Cables
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 14, 2025
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AXPONA 2025
Supreme Acoustic Systems: Albedo, Accustic Arts, BennyAudio, and More Close Out AXPONA in Style
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 14, 2025
As AXPONA wound down, I stopped by the Supreme Acoustic Systems room hoping to catch up with CEO Hiram Toro. Instead, I was greeted by another familiar face: distributor Philip O’Hanlon of On a Higher Note, who welcomed me into a space humming with last-day energy.
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Recording of the Month
Recording of June 2025: Alison Krauss & Union Station: Arcadia
Anne E. Johnson  |  May 14, 2025
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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Sweepstakes
Go Big. Get Loud. Win the Morel Biggie
Stereophile Staff  |  May 13, 2025  |  First Published: May 12, 2025

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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