Gunther premiered a number of products at High End Munich, including the Aria phonostage ($24,000), Vero phonostage/recorder ($24,000), Solo headphone amplifier ($17,000), Solo Base preamp/streamer/recorder ($12,000), Solo 3X mono amplifiers and active crossover ($15,000 apiece), and Mass…
The newest thing from Technics is this Lamborghini-inspired SL-1200–variant turntable. Here’s hoping it doesn’t run fast—but I’m not holding my breath.
While we’re on the Lamborghini theme: I’m not sure whether to consider this a table radio or a console audio system, since it’s quite large.
Many products from German high-end manufacturer Burmester have a mirror finish—though the company now offers a…
Fueled by caffeine and the relentless search for intoxicating hifi, I rounded a corner in Halle 2 and there they were: a trio of Thuono Audio turntables. These weren't just record players; this was record spinning as art, the combination steel/aluminum/…
Jeff mated his Joseph Audio Pearl Graphene loudspeakers (€60,000/pair) with the Allegro FLOW 1 Mk2 Integrated Amplifier (€18,900), Pre-Audio turntable (€50,000), Pre-Audio HoverCraft air bearing tonearm (€25,000) Master Fidelity NADAC D (€21,250), Master Fidelity NADAC C (€25,000), WAY Cables (varies), and SolidSteel racks.
Playing a Joe Morello drum solo from…
The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow was released by Blue Note Records on March 15, 2024, which was Charles Lloyd's 86th birthday. It is Lloyd's 47th album as a leader—the first was Discovery!, on…
The sound was as arresting and three-dimensional as the physical set-up. Alive, open, layered, perfectly tuned, glowing, flowing, and free, every note beamed life. It was the kind of sound that created silence and respect, as though entering a hallowed space where power and delicacy were honored equally. This was one of the finest…
Sasha Matson: Good morning from Cooperstown, home of baseball. Do you follow baseball?
Charles Lloyd: I played first base. I'm left-handed.
Matson: Does this new album, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow, feel special to you?
Lloyd: It does indeed.
Matson: Tell me a little about how you view the sound.
Lloyd: My dear friend and mentor Joe Harley is always around me, and he's been my sound mentor for years. I started out on Heathkits and graduated to Marantz. He's a wonderful sage. He's always there for the music. He's a sound seeker…
Heading the lineup was the new flagship Rega Reference NAIA turntable with Aphelion 2 cartridge ($16,995). It’s the first five-figure table from the legendary turntable…
I have written before—and it's inarguable—that nearly every aspect of…