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Grimm Audio LS1c active loudspeaker system Manufacturer's Comment

Manufacturer's Comment

We wish to thank Stereophile for publishing such a comprehensive review of our LS1c active loudspeaker system. We are dedicated to offer total clarity in the presentation of music by striving for perceptual neutrality in our equipment, and it is heartwarming to receive recognition for that by such a highly experienced team. We hope Stereophile's audience will enjoy the read and have the chance to experience the LS1c for themselves.

P.S. JA noted "a very slight upwards tilt" in the top end. That triggered us to check our new LS1 Control software. We found…

Audiophile Apex: Deep Dive Audio with J. Sikora, Aidas, Doshi, EMM Labs, Franco Serblin, ViaBlue, Silent Angel, Stillpoints, and RSX

As I wound down the mad dash from first to fourth floors, from imbibing coffee to considering cocktails, there was still more coverage to put to bed. Deep Dive Audio of Palm Bay, Florida, resuscitated my senses with a large rig of top-flight entertainment components.

A J. Sikora Standard Max Turntable ($22,995), with a J. Sikora KV Max 9" Tonearm ($11,750), mounted with an Aidas True Stone Gold Web Cartridge ($5995), fed sweet analog signals to a Doshi Audio Evolution 2MC Phono Preamplifier ($21,995).

Not to be outdone, an EMM Labs DA2i two-channel D/A Converter with…

Ryan O’Connor Delivers: ReVox, Playback Designs, and Aretai

Ryan O’Connor, president of ReVox North America, was working the rooms and the halls, but his ReVox B77 reel-to-reel machine ($15,900) failed to make it to Tampa for the ReVox room. No matter; the room offered a solid setup, including a Playback Designs IPS-3 integrated amplifier ($13,000) producing 260Wpc into 4 ohms, driving Aretai Contra 100S speakers ($9000/pair).

Aretai’s entry-level Contra 100S stands 8.25" x 15.75" x 10" (WxHxD) and weighs 33 lb. It’s a 2.5-way, acoustic-suspension design with a pair of 6" polypropylene woofers—one up front, another around back. Bass response is…

Supreme Acoustic Systems: Soulnote, AirTight, BennyAudio, Albedo, AudioQuest, and Cardas

It’s 3am on a Sunday morning. I must complete my tasks before Mark Henninger is awake. There are a handful of rooms left to write up, beginning with Room 265, where Supreme Acoustic Systems brought on Soulnote and others.

A Soulnote D-3 DAC ($22,900), with a Soulnote X-3 Clock Generator ($5495), sent signal to a Soulnote P3 Preamplifier ($22,900), followed by Soulnote M3 monoblocks ($21,900/pair). Also on board were an AirTight Reference Phono Stage ($34,975) and an AirTight ATH2 SUT ($6975). A BennyAudio Odyssey Turntable ($36,190) fed signals into these before reaching the rest of the…

It’s on! Welcome to the Montreal Audiofest 2025

Thirty-six years ago, I was 23. Why does that matter? Because that’s also when the Montreal audio show had its inaugural year. 36 years is a crazy milestone to reach for any annual event, especially one centered around a hobby as niche as ours. I’m not just saying this to gloat about my hometown audio show, as proud as I am of it, but to point out how our hobby is, after all these years, still very much alive and kicking.

The Montreal audio show had one of its best years last year, and this year’s edition, so far, looks promising. I see it as proof that our hobby, and the love of good…

Acora Acoustics / Audio Research: Cardas, Grimm, VPI

Audio Research? That’s right! The iconic brand, now owned by Val Cora of Acora Acoustics, is not only back in circulation but was making beautiful music at the ’fest via its just-released, dual-channel, fully differential, 100Wpc solid state S-100 integrated amplifier ($16,500) and LS-3 preamp, equipped with optional phono and DAC modules ($15,500 altogether).

These mighty electronics fed a pair of 2.5-way bass-reflex, high-sensitivity Acora MRC-2 speakers ($17,000/pair), which extend to 23Hz and sport a gorgeous Natural Marble Stone finish. Sources were a Grimm MU streaming preamp ($17,…

Lenbrook Americas: DALI, NAD, Kimber Kable

Lenbrook Americas was demoing a couple of systems in its room, all DALI–NAD–Kimber Kable configurations.

The one I sat down to listen to was the main one abutting the far wall, which consisted of a 200Wpc NAD M23 Master Series power amp ($4899) and M66 streaming preamp ($7499) feeding a pair of DALI EPIKORE-9 speakers ($50,000/pair). Cabling was by Kimber Kable from the company’s Carbon line.

As I’ve come to expect from the synergy between the DALI and NAD gear, the sound was robust, detailed, transparent, and bass-propelled, with a well-delineated soundstage populated by bold,…

Northstar Audio: Von Schweikert, Network Acoustics, Yeti, Antipodes, Rockna, WestministerLab, REI, MasterBuilt

I remember when everyone but my grandmother wanted a pair of Von Schweikert VR-4 speakers. They were the talk of the town. The press loved them, customers praised them. And they weren’t too expensive. Things have changed since, of course—the VR.thirty on display at the Audiofest costs $88,000/pair, but it’s also quite a bit more ambitiously designed than the VR-4 was. The VR.thirty also sounds ambitious.

Along with a Network Acoustics Muon Pro Ethernet filter ($2760), a Yeti Acoustic Reference switch ($3240), an Antipodes Oladra server/streamer ($39,995), a Rockna Wavedream…

Laliberté Électronique: SVS, Eversolo, AudioQuest

Holy cannoli—was there bass in retailer Laliberté Électronique’s room. But not just bass. Also transparent mids, smooth highs, and floods of detail blowing through a vast soundstage. Even so, there’s no doubt this system was configured to appease the bass gods.

Standing at the end of a chain centered around the new and versatile Eversolo DMP-A10 network streamer with DAC and preamp stage ($5299) and a 200Wpc Eversolo AMP-F10 power amp were two SVS Pinnacle standmounts ($7999/pair), a speaker already rated to deliver bass tones down to 37Hz, plus two SVS SB17 Ultra subwoofers ($4250.50…

Holly Cole's <I>Dark Moon</I>

Discovering music as it is being recorded—singer Holly Cole seeks that kind of spontaneity on her recordings including her latest, Dark Moon on Rumpus Room/UMG Records. As she put it, she wanted this record with her longtime quartet to capture "the moment when the light turns on for us."

"On Dark Moon, you hear the essence of when we discover a song," she said during a recent interview. "We had very brief rehearsals, and then went in and recorded. I had a lot of faith in this band, and that's why I cherry-picked them. They know me, they know I'm a minimalist, and we were able to arrange…