In a near-repeat of my visit to the Gershman Acoustics room at 2019’s Toronto Audiofest, I got the chance to meet up with the Toronto-based company’s Ofra and Eli Gershman and also Krell COO Walter Schofield. This time I also got to meet Exasound president George Klissarov, to chat about audio and listen to good music from a system using a Krell 150Wpc (the first 90 watts in class-A) K300i integrated amplifier (US$7500, US$8500 with DAC; see Jason Victor Serinus's review, here.), Gershman Acoustics’s Grande Avant Garde…
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Trio Mediæval: Solacium
Trio Mediæval, vocals; Trygve Seim, saxophone; Mats Eilertsen, double bass.
2L-165 (24/352.8 MQA FLAC), 2021. Morten Lindberg & Arve Henriksen, co-prods.; Lindberg, eng.
Performance *****
Sonics *****
Trio Mediæval, vocals; Trygve Seim, saxophone; Mats Eilertsen, double bass.
2L-165 (24/352.8 MQA FLAC), 2021. Morten Lindberg & Arve Henriksen, co-prods.; Lindberg, eng.
Performance *****
Sonics *****
In switching from ECM New Series to 2L, Norwegian women's vocal ensemble Trio Mediæval has moved from a label known for atmospheric acoustics to one lauded for capturing resonant 3D space and pristine silences. Aided by label founder/producer/engineer Morten Lindberg, who has received 28 Grammy nominations and one Award, Trio Mediæval delivers…
Erin Morley & Lawrence Brownlee: Golden Age
Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Ivan Repušić, cond.
Pentatone PTC 5187400 (CD; reviewed as 24/96). 2025. Morley, Brownlee, others, prods.; Michael Havenstein, eng.
Performance *****
Sonics ****½
Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Ivan Repušić, cond.
Pentatone PTC 5187400 (CD; reviewed as 24/96). 2025. Morley, Brownlee, others, prods.; Michael Havenstein, eng.
Performance *****
Sonics ****½
For lovers of the human voice—those who enjoy seeing how far it can stretch and opera buffs with a soft spot for bel canto glories—Golden Age is sheer pleasure. More than a host of bonbons, it showcases two of today's finest high-flying 19th century specialists, tenor Lawrence Brownlee and soprano Erin Morley, in their glorious prime.…
Anne-Sophie Mutter: East Meets West
Works by Aftab Darvishi, Unsuk Chin, Jörg Widmann, Thomas Adès
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin; London Symphony Orchestra, Adès, cond. (in his piece)
Alpha1244 (CD; reviewed as 24/192). 2026. Bernhard Güttler, prod.; various engineers.
Performance *****
Sonics ****½
Works by Aftab Darvishi, Unsuk Chin, Jörg Widmann, Thomas Adès
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin; London Symphony Orchestra, Adès, cond. (in his piece)
Alpha1244 (CD; reviewed as 24/192). 2026. Bernhard Güttler, prod.; various engineers.
Performance *****
Sonics ****½
Fabulous music. Fabulous playing. Excellent mastering. That sums up this issue of four works composed for the great violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, 63, to mark the 50th anniversary of her 1976 stage debut at the Lucerne Festival. The first in a series of recordings of premieres…
Terry Riley: The Holy Liftoff
Claire Chase, flute; JACK Quartet. Realized by Samuel Clay Birmaher
Sono Luminus DSL-92290 (CD; reviewed as 24/96). 2026. Ryan Streber, producer, editing; Dan Shores engineering, mixing, mastering.
Performance *****
Sonics ****½
Claire Chase, flute; JACK Quartet. Realized by Samuel Clay Birmaher
Sono Luminus DSL-92290 (CD; reviewed as 24/96). 2026. Ryan Streber, producer, editing; Dan Shores engineering, mixing, mastering.
Performance *****
Sonics ****½
More than two years after its Brooklyn premiere, Terry Riley's mesmerizing The Holy Liftoff receives a definitive multitracked recording by its commissioner, flutist Claire Chase, and the ever-adventurous JACK Quartet. The genesis and completion of the work is unusual even by the standards of the 90-year-old father of…
Earlier in our show report, Jason Victor Serinus visited with Hans-Ole Vitus of Vitus Audio, as well as Vitus’s son, Alexander, whose own company, AVM-TEC, introduced its Alluxity line of amplification components. Here’s a photo of father and son together. I love the fact that the enthusiasm and wonder for high-performance audio runs through the family.
“We didn’t even have to force him into it!” Hans-Ole Vitus said of his son’s interest in audio.
The younger Vitus began working with his father early on, helping to design and print banners and brochures. As he became more involved…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: dCS Vivaldi DAC & Scarlatti clock & Paganini transport & Network Bridge & dCS Rossini SACD/CD transport; Intel NUC7i7BNH computer with 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, running Roon; Linksys routers with two sets of TP-Link Gigabit Ethernet media converters; multimode duplex fiber-optic cables, Small Green Computer linear power supply; external hard drives, SS USB sticks, iPad Pro.
Power Amplifiers: Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems Progression monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia 2.
Cables: Digital:…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: dCS Rossini DAC & Scarlatti clock; Apple MacBook Pro computer with Intel i7, SSD, 8GB RAM; Intel NUC7i7BNH with 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD running Roon; Linksys routers with two sets TP-Link Gigabit Ethernet media converters, multimode duplex fiber-optic cables, Small Green Computer linear power supply; external hard drives, USB sticks, iPad Pro.
Integrated Amplifier: CH Precision I1.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia 2.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond (Ethernet), Nordost Odin 1 & Odin 2 & Valhalla 2 (USB),…
One day before the Los Angeles Audio Show, Jason Victor Serinus, his fresh haircut, and I visited VTL Amplifiers, Inc. in Chino, California. We were given a tour of the factory by Bea Lam and Luke Manley, who were featured in this 2007 interview by Jason. While Jason has a certain sense of familiarity with Bea, Luke, and their amplifiers, I only became truly aware of VTL at the 2016 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, when Bea and I fatefully met in the women's restroom of the hotel lobby—a rare place to meet people at a hi-fi show! (I highly recommend it.)
It was interesting to see how small and…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: dCS Paganini SACD/CD transport, Scarlatti clock, Rossini & Vivaldi DACs, Network Bridge; Intel NUC7i7BNH computer with 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, running Roon; Linksys router with two TP-Link gigabit Ethernet media converters & multimode duplex fiber-optic cable; external hard drives, USB sticks, Apple iPad Pro.
Power Amplifiers: Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems Progression Mono monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia and Alexia 2.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond (Ethernet), Nordost Odin 1 & Odin 2…