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I remember a Saturday morning around 30 years ago, when I just happened to be at Sound by Singer, the New York City audio salon, watching this wizardy German fella named Joachim Gerhard unbox the newest speaker in his line, Audio Physic. I remember how bright the sun was as it streamed in through the windows, forming a wall of light behind him and silhouetting two implausibly thin box speakers. Their silhouetted forms displayed proportions similar to the World Trade Center.

I was taken aback by how Gerhard set up these thin twin towers…

Setup
In my room, Heretic importer and Fidelis Audio principal Walter Swanbon set the AD614s on custom 12" Fidelis stands about 20" from the wall. In that position, they played big soundstage-wise but were a little lean through the midrange. After he left, I experimented by moving them first forward some, which made them leaner and brighter. So then I tried moving them backward, ending up with the two boxes no more than 6" from the wall behind.

Sitting on the Fidelis stands, the 614's tweeters were 27" from the floor. My normal listening position places my ears 33" to 36"…

Younger people (post-Boomer generations) listen to a ton of music—but are they really listening? Are they paying close attention, or, as the cliché goes, is it, for them, all background music? Generational clichés are rarely accurate. Of course they actually listen. Enough of them are, anyway. And they…

The police…

At AXPONA 2022, I eagerly…

I changed brands of speaker cable and interconnects, but inasmuch as I could hear changes, the sound remained dull. To make sure I hadn't inadvertently made some other important change in the system…

Description: Class-AB mono power amplifier. Analog inputs: Balanced (XLR), single-ended (RCA), and Esoteric ESL-A (for connecting other Esoteric components). Outputs: 1 pair binding posts. Input impedance: 100k ohms for XLR, 10k ohms for RCA. Rated output power: 300W into 8 ohms (24.8dBW), 600W into 4 ohms (24.8dBW). Power consumption: 400W, 55W when no signal. Frequency response: 5Hz–100kHz, +0dB/–3dB into 8 ohms. S/N ratio: 119dB (IHF-A, XLR). THD: 0.006% (1kHz, 8 ohms, 300W). Compatible speaker impedance: 4 ohms to 16 ohms (see explanation in review text).…

Digital sources: dCS Rossini Apex DAC and Vivaldi Master Clock; Innuos Statement NextGen Music Server; Uptone Audio EtherRegen, AfterDark Giesemann Emperor Double Crown Master Clock, and Nordost QNet Ethernet Switch, all powered by Nordost QSource linear power supplies (2); Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS, Small Green Computer Sonore Deluxe opticalModule, Linksys mesh router and Arris modem, all powered by HDPlex 300 linear power supply; Apple 2017 iPad Pro and 2017 MacBook Pro laptop with 2.8GHz Intel i7, SSD, 16GB RAM.
Preamplifier: Dan D'Agostino Momentum…

Before I tested one of the Esoteric M1X amplifiers, serial number 20014, with my Audio Precision SYS2722, I preconditioned the amplifier, following the CEA's recommendation of operating it at one-eighth the specified power into 8 ohms for 30 minutes. At the end of that time, the internal heatsinks were fairly warm, at 105.7°F (40.8°C), though the top panel's temperature was just 82.6°F (28.1°C). As JVS had told me that the M1X's sound quality improved after a lengthy break-in, I then ran the amplifier at one-third the specified power into 8 ohms for another 30…

Got plans for Saturday afternoon? How 'bout a visit to the dark side? The dark side of the moon, that is—or, rather, The Dark Side of the Moon?

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of that audiophile favorite, music enthusiast Philip O'Hanlon, of audio distributor On a Higher Note (and also MORMusic; MOR is short for Magnum Opus Rediscovered), has organized DSotM listening parties to take place 3–6pm Saturday, 25 March, at hi-fi dens across the USA. If you want to attend, you can (hopefully) find a venue near you at this link. (Scroll and find a location on the US map.)…