YG’s latest creations push the envelope for technical innovation—not to mention total heft. The three dual-layer cabinets of each speaker, machined in-house from aerospace-grade aluminum billet, have a total weight of 495 lb. And yes, they are as expensive as you might imagine: $146,800 a pair. YG also machines the aluminum drivers in-house.
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YG Acoustics speakers have always had a distinct look, but the massive aluminum towers in room 806 were unmissable, even if you only glanced into the room. These were the Colorado-based manufacturer’s state-of-the-art Sonja 3.3 loudspeakers.
Music's lunatic fringe drifts further out every hour. As it should. In this century, with computers playing an ever-larger role, music continues to fragment and become infinitely more varied. This splintering is either the essence of what keeps it relevant as an art form or something profoundly disturbing, to be hated and feared.
In the mid-1980s, few bands were as loved, despised, and misunderstood as the Butthole Surfers. The impulse to tread in unexplored borderlands of noise, studio blathery, live excess, indulgent nonsensicalness, and the urge to reconnoiter unheard sonics were all…
Gary Dewes and Pete Grzybowski, the minds behind Border Patrol Audio and Triode Wire Labs, respectively, conjured a sonic space that wasn't merely heard, but felt. A room where sound didn't just exist, but seized the listener, demanding attention.
Said setup included an Innuos Statement Music Server with Next-Gen Power Supply (4TB SSD–$26,200), Gary’s BorderPatrol S20EXD power amplifier (from $22,500) and BorderPatrol DAC SE-i (USB, from $1650). These drove the Living Voice R80 IBX Oak loudspeakers ($42,750–$54,250/pair, depending on finish), a two-way, ported, MTM loudspeaker with 92dB/…
Robin Wyatt always gives great room, and this year’s CAF appearance was no exception. Prancing like a jolly bartender offering beautiful audio reproduction in place of libations, Wyatt’s room creates anticipation and soon enough, audio ecstasy.
Wyatt’s curated audio assemblage included a bespoke VPI HW-RA DD turntable ($17,995), with a Tzar DST V1 stereo phono cartridge ($10,000) mounted on a hai-Scandinavian Engineering Bird of Prey tonearm ($15,950). Amplification included the April Sound Pre head amp ($1875), into the popular Java HiFi Double Shot integrated amplifier ($15,995),…
At the risk of giving these social media upstarts more attention, my old friend Jason Messina (aka The Audiophile Junky) could be found in the Popori/UniQue room, which is a funny thing. The only time I’ve seen Jason even close to being immobile—i.e., not making videos, which he does, hitting the ground running (I’ve seen it)—is at a show!
Jason demonstrated the Theoretica Applied Physics Bacch-SP adio Stereo Purifier with DAC ($30,000) for me, and I was duly impressed, if a bit spooked. Who knew there was so much audio action happening behind my head?
Also in the room, a Roon…
Although I did happen upon Peak Consult speakers in Munich and Southern California in 2023, we last reviewed a Peak Consult speaker almost 18 years ago. Hence my excitement when I encountered genuine full-range sound (albeit too loud) in the room that paired a new reworking of the company's El Diablo loudspeakers ($79,000/pair) with Extraudio electronics.
"The core of Peak Consult’s designs are its cabinets, to which we apply crossover and driver technology," explained Sales and Marketing Manager Mike Picanza. Picanza should know. He formerly ran the UK branch of Dynaudio for 10 years and…
Here's a hard truth: A written review of a full-sized speaker—any speaker, really—is, at best, semi-useful. We all listen differently, we have different musical tastes, our system electronics are different, and our listening rooms vary a lot. You will gain a general picture of a speaker's capabilities and foibles from John Atkinson's measurements, and I can tell you how the speakers sound to me, in my room. But that's it. You need to hear them for yourself before making a buying decision. The best I can do is tell you how my music brain felt when the speakers were in my house and making music…
Listening I: Well-known tunes with the reference system
After that break-in period, I started listening critically using my reference system (dCS Bartók streamer/DAC, Benchmark LA-4 preamp, Benchmark AHB2 power amplifier). I had noticed during break-in that these speakers put out a lot of bass energy, more than I expected from 6.5" woofers. So I turned to my trusted Bass Test playlist on Qobuz (footnote 4). My go-to test of fast and deep bass these days is "Flea" by St. Vincent from All Born Screaming. There are deep beats, deep synth sounds, a bassline that goes to the bottom…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive units: 1.1" (28mm) "DAD (Damped Apex Dome) Arrow Point" tweeter with copper shorting ring, 6.5" (165mm) "Camelia" midrange unit mounted in cork internal enclosure, two 6.5" (165mm) pulp-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 280Hz, 2.5kHz. Frequency response: 35Hz–40kHz, –3dB. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Sensitivity: 89dB/2.83/m. Power handling: 50–320W.
Dimensions: 42.6" (1081mm) H × 12.1" (308mm) W × 16.3" (530mm) D. Weight: 73.6lb (33.4kg) each.
Finish: walnut or wengè wood, black.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Technics SL-1200MK7 turntable with Ortofon 2M Blue MM cartridge.
Digital sources: dCS Bartók streaming DAC, Oppo DV-981HD universal disc player.
Line preamplifier: Benchmark LA4.
Power amplifier: Benchmark AHB2.
Receiver-streamer: T+A R 2500 R.
Loudspeakers: B&W 808.
Accessories: Butcherblock Acoustics Rigidrack equipment rack, SME turntable cable.—Tom Fine