That new gear smell included the Göbel Divin Comtesse Loudspeakers ($60,000/pair), new Wadax Studio Player ($39,800), and a baker’s dozen of new Shunyata cables, including Theta interconnects ($1370/2m pair), Denali power distributor ($6000), Typhon T30 power conditioner ($6500), T30 umbilical cable ($2000), T30 power cable ($2000), Alpha X NR power cable ($2850), and Theta speaker cables ($…
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Bending Wave’s Elliot Goldman and Tone Imports’ Jonathan Halpern brought a change of pace to the Jackson Suite, with not one or two but eight US debuts for the rowdy Capital Audiofest (CAF) crowd.
The high-end audio world, with its shiny boxes and astronomical price tags, often gets a bad rap. People dismiss it as a playground for the wealthy, a place where form trumps function. But Jeff Fox, the mastermind behind Command Performance AV, isn’t buying it. He’s here to prove that high-end audio isn’t just about showing off; it’s about experiencing the blood, guts, and beauty of music. If the prices start to rise, at least you were warned.
I stepped into Command’s Democracy showroom and was greeted by a surreal sight: a young man, garbed in a garish red wig, cavorting like a…
Following the release of their statement product KORE loudspeaker in 2022 and the impressive EPIKORE 11 4½ way floorstander ($60,000) in 2023, DALI has introduced three new EPIKORE models, two more compact floorstanders and a stand-mount loudspeaker, to expand the series into a full line. All were on display and in action for the press in multiple listening rooms at Park Avenue Audio in NYC.
In attendance were Thomas Knudsen, DALI Sales Manager, and Jason Zidle, Lenbrook North American Brand Manager for DALI, although the discussion was led mostly by Thomas Holm, DALI Senior Product…
"At last, a fine midrange!" scribbled I with relief after visiting one too many rooms where any semblance of midrange warmth had been exiled to Siberia.
It felt like a homecoming, albeit a strange one—in that just as I began to sink into or groove on what was playing, the track abruptly shifted to another. Such demos, alas, always strike me as more about sound than music. Even with that reservation, the sound on Camo & Krooked's "Witch Doctor" and Hugo Barriol's "Hold My Hand" was sufficiently engaging to make me wish I could have heard far more.
By the time we got…
My goal, in writing reports on the Warsaw Audio Video Show, may be to mix products from Polish brands with a few noteworthy premieres. But when a chance meeting during dinner led to the discovery of Mozzaik Audio, headquartered in Croatia just a few countries south of Poland, my interest was piqued.
It piqued further when I learned that the company's amplifier, which has been marketed in Europe for three-four years, "embraces distortion." The amp, which outputs 500Wpc into 4 ohms, has several settings intended to manipulate "psychoacoustic distortion" for optimal sound. According to…
Supreme Acoustic Systems and Axiss Audio brought the kind of equipment that gooses my reviewer’s jones for new review gear. From the Brutalist looking Bergmann Audio turntable to the fantastical YG speakers to the fetish worthy AirTight amps, I tried to maintain dry palms while taking notes.
Specifically, the SAS system in Room 628 consisted of the Danish Bergmann's Galder & Odin Signature turntable ($43,615), mounted with an AirTight Opus 1 cart ($15,975).
AirTight amps included an AirTight ATE-3011 Reference Phono Amplifier ($34,975), new AirTight ATC-7 Stereo Line Control…
Ofra Gershman brought her 30th anniversary Black Swan Speakers ($95,000/pair) to CAF2024. These speakers feature the company’s patented “Separate Sub Alignment System,” which physically separates the tweeter and midrange from the woofer. “This unique design not only allows for custom time alignment,” states the Gershman website, “ensuring that high, mid, and low frequencies reach the listener in perfect synchronization.”
Paired with upgraded drivers, the internal “Bass Trap” and an advanced crossover network, these speakers . . . “create an immersive and organic listening experience…
Bill Voss of Technics was tardy to his Alma/Technics room at Capital Audiofest 2024, so Stereophile managing editor Mark Henninger and I sidled in, invited show attendees, and spun some discs. By the time Bill arrived we had a small party going.
As usual, Bill had a crate of choice vinyl. We grooved to an OG Frampton's Camel, swung our limbs to alto saxophonist Art Pepper's Meets the Rhythm Section, and spun some sweaty nineties twelve-inchers. Bill arrived with coffee and donuts, none the wiser.
Mark made a video with Bill presenting Technics’ new SL-1300G turntable ($…
At the Capital Audio Fest 2024, the Luxury Audio Group, with a crucial assist from dealership Scott Walker Audio, presented an exceptional audio system featuring the Estelon XB Diamond Mk II speakers ($63,000 per pair), the Vitus SIA-030 integrated amplifier ($51,000), the Vitus SD-025 DAC ($30,000), and the Sonorus ATR10 MkII reel-to-reel tape deck ($35,000).
The SIA-030 delivers 50Wpc in pure Class-A, 150Wpc in Class-AB. The SD-025 DAC ensures high-fidelity digital-to-analog conversion.
A Taiko Audio Extreme Server ($30,000) was used to deliver digital files to the DAC…
Adrian Ford-Crush manned the Audio Note (UK) room solo at CAF, though whispers circulated about the brand’s major domo Peter Qvortrup lurking in the crowd. Surprisingly, the usual Audio Note techno and classical blasts were replaced by soothing folk and jazz, a balm for weary show-goers. The AN-E/SPx Ltd Field Coil Loudspeakers ($65,000/pair) delivered their characteristically forceful and fluid sound, preparing for their upcoming Stereophile review at Chez Micallef.
The all-Audio Note UK system also included the TT Three Turntable with PSU1 ($9412), IO I Moving Coil Cartridge ($5028),…