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Recording music is complicated, and without the crucial assistance of producers and engineers, a lot of great records—not to mention successful musical careers—would not happen. Producers Steve Albini and Michael Cuscuna, two key figures from the music world who departed in recent months, richly deserve to be celebrated.

Though they worked in widely disparate genres—Cuscuna primarily in jazz, Albini in punk and noise rock—they are connected by their extraordinary efforts and unfailing taste. Both were exacting, dedicated, and…

The BRX was the last GoldenEar speaker to be produced under…

I did some further experimentation with the speaker positions and subwoofer levels, but Chris's and Stephen's choices gave the optimal balance from the low bass through to the lower midrange. I then installed the spikes to the aluminum bases and started my auditioning. Amplification was provided by the Parasound JCA100 Tribute monoblocks I reviewed in June 2024; the source was, first, a PS Audio DirectStream MK2 D/A processor fed USB data from my Roon Nucleus+ server, then, when that was returned to the manufacturer, an MBL N31 CD player/DAC converting Ethernet data from the Nucleus+.…

Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker with powered sub-bass section. Drive units: High-Gauss Reference High-Velocity Folded Ribbon (HVFR) AMT tweeter, two 4.5" High-Definition Die-Cast Basket mid/ bass drivers, two 5" × 9" Long-Throw Quadratic subwoofers, two 8" × 12" Quadratic Planar Back-Wave-Driven radiators. Frequency range: 29Hz–25kHz typical on-axis. Low-frequency extension –6dB at 29Hz. Sensitivity: 91dB/2.83V/m (4 ohms). Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Recommended amplification: 20–500W. Subwoofer power amplifier: 1000W peak, 500W (…

Digital sources: Roon Nucleus+ file server; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream MK2 D/A processor; MBL N31 CD player/DAC; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 A/D converter.
Power amplifiers: Parasound JCA100 Tribute monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: GoldenEar BRX.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (Ethernet), AudioQuest Coffee (USB), DH Labs (1m, AES3). Interconnect: Ayre/Cardas (balanced). Speaker: AudioQuest Robin Hood Combo. AC: AudioQuest Monsoon, Dragon Source and Dragon High Current, manufacturers' own.
Accessories: 24"-…

I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system, a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone, and an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the GoldenEar T66's quasi-anechoic frequency- and time-domain behavior in the farfield. I raised the speaker on a dolly and a stack of 2 × 4s so that the tweeter was midway between the floor and ceiling. Because of the geometry of my listening room, where I performed the measurements, the microphone distance was 1m rather than my usual 50". I used an Earthworks QTC-40 microphone for the nearfield responses and Dayton Audio's DATS V2 system to…

Check the forums and you find that the AD1865 chip is also a heavy DIY favorite. Home brewers are attracted to this discontinued, "obsolete"…

The preternaturally talented Neveu (1919–1949) was playing her soul out on a made-in-1730 Omobono Stradivari—Omobono was one of Antonio's sons—and its rich tones came through my speakers dense and rub-my-fingers-together tactile. The Aero strongly emphasized bow-on-string textures, which emphasized Neveu's tone, making for a sensuous, compelling Ginette Neveu listening experience.

To my delight, LTA's DAC presented these remastered pre-1949 recordings with that Kodachrome tone I've come to associate with NOS R-2R converters. Best of all, the Aero added a faint halo of tube…

Description: R-2R D/A processor based around the 18-bit Analog Devices AD1865 chip, with 12SN7/6SN7 output tubes and no filters, feedback, or oversampling. Formats: Up to 24/192 PCM. Output voltage: 2.2V RMS RCA, 4.4V RMS XLR. Digital inputs: USB, S/PDIF on RCA, and TosLink. Output impedance: 70 ohms unbalanced (RCA), 140 ohms balanced (XLR). Power consumption: 32W in operation, 7W standby.
Dimensions: 17" (431mm) W × 3" (76mm) H × 10" (254mm) D. Weight: 15lb (6.8kg). Serial number of unit reviewed: 240422. Manufactured in USA.
Price: $3950. Approximate…

Analog sources: Dr. Feickert Analog Blackbird turntable with Sorane SA1.2 tonearm with Dynavector XX2 moving coil, plus Nagaoka MP-110 and "homebrew" MP-200, and Audio-Technica's AT-VM95E moving magnets. Pulse EMT 912-HI tonearm with EMT's JSD6 moving coil.
Digital sources: Denafrips Terminator Plus DAC, HoloAudio May and Spring 3 DACs, dCS Lina DAC with Master Clock; Onkyo C-7030 CD player, TEAC VRDS 701T transport, Roon Nucleus+.
Preamplifiers: HoloAudio Serene; PrimaLuna EVO 100 and MoFi MasterPhono phono stages.
Power amplifiers: Parasound…