"Closer, closer...That's it...Yes...Now look into my tangerine waveguide..."
search
"Come here often?"
The KEF Muon reflects the exquisite beauty of woman.
JA would have lost his mind.
KEF’s Julia Davidson gave an excellent presentation, discussing the company’s efforts in bringing the Blade concept to life.
We listened to Radiohead’s “All I Need” from the great In Rainbows, and the song seemed to have more swagger than I’m used to, more grip, more pull, a way of reaching out and reeling in.
“That sounds good,” smiled Julia.
“You’re one of the designers?” I asked.
“Yes,” she nodded. “I worked on the cabinet materials. The concept version used carbon fiber, but we revised it to this glass-reinforced polymer…
“Hey, look—Jeff Joseph’s speakers arrived!” Rosemarie exclaimed.
“Oh, cool. Let’s take a picture,” I said. “Go over there and look pretty.”
“What?”
“I said, ‘You look so pretty.’ Geez. Come on, stand next to the speakers. Please?”
“Alright.”
“I said, ‘Stand next to them.’ I didn’t say, ‘Lean all over them like they’re yours.’”
MBL’s 101 Xtreme loudspeaker system ($260,000) combines mirror-imaged pairs of the company’s 101 loudspeaker with outboard active subwoofers. A pair of MBL 9011s drove the lower omnis, while a pair of 9008s handled the upper omnis.
Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” sounded appropriately thrilling, and it was cool to hear how well the system managed to depict Christina Aguilera as a petite woman with an enormous voice.
Drama, scale, impact, resolution, speed, speed, speed, three-dimensional images on a massive soundstage. This system produced music with a sort of muscular physicality…
Those who’ve attended a Wilson Audio Specialties demo know that the company’s Peter McGrath puts on a good show—when it comes to introducing a loudspeaker and winning over an audience, he’s perhaps the best in the business.
So, I wasn’t actually surprised that Rosemarie took a fancy to the man. I was surprised, though, by how deeply she enjoyed the demonstration.
We listened to several of McGrath’s recent high-resolution recordings, including one made only days before the show, at the University of Miami’s Gusman Concert Hall, with young and enchanting soprano Lei Xu,…
A goodbye note from JB Stanton Communications' Bryan Stanton, one of the many friendly faces I somehow managed to miss while in Munich.
And just as suddenly as we arrived in Munich—just as we were beginning to feel comfortable and alive—it was, unfortunately, time to leave Munich. Rosemarie and I loved the city, the people, the food, and the hi-fi.
The M.O.C. proved to be an outstanding venue for presenting hi-fi in the best possible light, creating an atmosphere that invited attendees to linger, relax, enjoy. Though the weekend’s weather was absolutely glorious,…
One of the things I admire most about the folks at Music Matters Jazz—the audiophile house that reissues classic Blue Note albums at 45rpm, the tracks spreads out on two slabs of 180gm virgin vinyl, tucked inside handsome gatefold covers—is that they focus on the label's later avant-garde titles as well as on its earlier hard-bop chestnuts. Highlights in that realm to date: Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch, Andrew Hill's Point of Departure, and Jackie McLean's Destination Out.
Now add to this list of treasures Sam Rivers' Fuchsia Swing Song.
All four of those albums were recorded in…
With well over 115 individual exhibits and hundreds of high-end audio and home theater brands making music just steps away from a wine show, auto show, a cigar show, and live jazz, T.H.E. Show: Newport promises to raise the bar for consumer audio shows in Southern California.
Scheduled for next Friday through Sunday, June 3–5, in the Newport Hilton, adjacent to Orange County's John Wayne International Airport, T.H.E. Show: Newport is the brainchild of Bob Levi, President of the successful Los Angeles & Orange County Audio Society, and Richard Beers, President of T.H.E. Show. Levi came…
The VTL 225W DeLuxe monoblocks are very similar to the 300W monoblocks that received such an enthusiastic reception from J. Gordon Holt a year or so ago (in Vol.11 No.10) and, ultimately, most of the audiophile community. Technically, they differ only in output tubes and transformer: the 225W uses EL34s, the 300W uses 6550s. The 225Ws, at $4200/pair, cost $700 less than their more powerful brothers. The question may be raised: Why have two models so close in price and performance? According to David Manley, the 225Ws were built on special order for audiophiles who preferred the sound of EL34s…