It was supposed to be so simple, a well-trod path I've followed almost every May for the last decade: A six-day trip to Munich to attend the final Munich High End Show before it decamps to Vienna next year.
I see any trip to Europe as an opportunity to replenish my personal stash of Anthon Berg Danish marzipan bars, a childhood favorite with a crack-like addictive pull. My flights and hotel were booked months in advance. I was ready to go.
Then Jim Austin, my esteemed editor, asked…
In the early days of component hi-fi, all was mono. Not until the emergence of stereo was there any hope of creating the auditory illusion of an acoustic space—a performance…
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone with an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the Magico S5 2024's farfield frequency behavior and dispersion. I used an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield and in-room responses and Dayton Audio's DATS V2 system to measure the impedance magnitude and electrical phase angle. I measured one of the S5 2024s in my listening room, but the loudspeaker was too heavy for me to lift off the floor. To avoid having to aggressively window the MLSSA time-domain data, which would reduce the measured…
Stereophile readers are surely aware of the tariff situation under the current administration—a situation that has changed rapidly, often daily. The tariff penalty—and arguably even more, the lack of economic stability resulting from tariff volatility—has a major impact on buying, pricing, and corporate strategy in the hi-fi industry. Hi-fi is just one of…
Seeing Bruce Springsteen perform live in the 1970s and early '80s, pre–Born in the U.S.A., could be a life-changing experience. Bruce was the hungry leader of a relentless, turn-on-a-dime R&B band. A burning star streaking across the rock'n'roll sky, he threw his fiery young self into maximum shows full of urgency (to invoke one of his best rhymes) and those wordy, anthemic pleading/strutting urban fairy tales. He was leagues beyond almost everything and everyone else in those days.
The reality of creatives and creativity, however, is that the muse is…
Description: Digital/analog processor based on the ESS Sabre 9018S DAC chip. Digital inputs: One each USB, AES3, and S/PDIF on RCA and TosLink (optical). Accepted formats: PCM 44.1kHz–384kHz; DSD 64×, 128×. Analog outputs: Stereo pair single-ended (RCA) and balanced (on XLR). Digital outputs: one each AES3, S/PDIF on RCA and BNC. Output voltage range: 0.23V–7.5V balanced, 0.115V–3.75V single-ended at 0dBFS, selectable via rear-panel toggle switches. Frequency response: 0Hz–20kHz ±0.25dB (Fs=44.1kHz); 0Hz–40kHz ±0.8dB (Fs=88.2kHz); 0Hz– 80kHz ±2.5dB (Fs=176.4kHz…
Digital sources: Custom Intel/Win11 music server running JRiver Media Center v33, Roon 2, and DiracLive-ART. Merging Devices Hapi II DAC. QNAP TVS-873 NAS. Oppo Digital UDP-103 universal disc player.
Power amplifiers: Benchmark AHB2.
Loudspeakers: 3 × KEF Blade 2 Meta with IsoAcoustics GAIA II feet (L/C/R). KEF LS 60 Wireless (surround L/R), KEF KC92 and SVS SB2000Pro subwoofers.
Cables: Digital interconnects: Mogami Gold AES TD DB25-XLR0 snake. Analog interconnects: Mogami Gold AES TD DB25-XLR snake, In-wall Cat6 wiring per AES72 with Thomann…
The player features Onkyo’s proprietary Vector Linear Shaping Circuit (VLSC), designed to remove pulse noise from the signal path. A 24-bit/192kHz DAC handles digital-to-analog conversion, and the company specifies a signal-to-noise ratio of 107dB. The C-30 also includes a ±10PPM clock intended to improve timing accuracy.
Connectivity options include RCA, coaxial digital, and optical outputs. Supported formats include standard CDs, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3, and WMA.
The C-30 joins…
The AudioNec Evo 2 speakers ($54,000/pair) are modular, with a wideband array dubbed DuoPole (a dipole variant) that's said to cover 400Hz–10kHz. A supertweeter (10kHz–30kHz) with a ring radiator was positioned above the DuoPole within the same metal…
Brave Heart features a large-diameter construction measuring a mere 0.6mm smaller than the Mythical cables, and includes approximately one-third more Perfect-Surface Copper+ conductor material than prior models in its class. According to the company, the cable’s size and dual-round geometry—separating positive and negative conductors—contribute to improved damping factor over distance and a more stable…