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When the Wigmore Hall Live label was launched in 2005, the great mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson had only a few months to live: She died of breast cancer in July 2006, age 52. The hunt for lost recordings to memorialize her artistry led directly to her November 30, 1998, Wigmore Hall recital, broadcast that day as part of BBC Radio 3's Noonday Concert series and preserved in the BBC archives. That recital was released on the Wigmore Hall Live label on January 1, 2007, six months after Hunt Lieberson's passing.

How is it that an archival broadcast recording became a widely…

With digital converters as with other products, I don't need to know their price or technology before I listen. It might be better not to know. But usually I do know. This review is unusual in that when I first started listening with the HiFi Rose RD160 DAC…

I used my Audio Precision SYS2722 system to examine the HiFi Rose RD160's behavior on the test bench. I used AES3 and optical S/PDIF data for the testing as well as USB data sourced from my MacBook Pro. The RD160 offers a choice of six reconstruction filters, three oversampling modes and three without oversampling; a choice of several fixed output levels or a variable output; and both balanced and single-ended outputs. I performed a complete set of tests using the balanced outputs with the variable output level option, the oversampling bypassed, and the default "…

Description: Delta-sigma DAC with optional upsampling, utilizing the AKM AK4191 DSP chip and AKM AK4499EXEQ DAC chip with three transformers, separate power supplies for digital circuits, L and R output stages, and volume control. Aluminum/rust-proof steel chassis with side-mounted heatsinks and "hidden" AMOLED display. AK4191EQ delta-sigma modulator receives digital audio, handles filters, noise shaping, and oversampling. AK4499EXEQ chip handles D/A conversion. OCXO clock. MUSES 8920A JFET input dual operational amplifier for I/V conversion. Technologies…

As Montreal Audiofest 2026 was winding down, I didn't have enough time to survey the three Essentia Technology systems in the Montreal M2 room. Luckily, I had a chance to speak with Essentia Technology co-founder Leoni Alexander-Tomas, and later with Jonathan Nye and John Rowland of Michell, all of whom gave me the…

To me, no particular trends stood out at this year's Montreal Audiofest, though I did notice one product category that could represent a trend or the luck of the draw: bookshelf speakers that sound meatier and bigger than they have in the past.

Case in point: the Triangle Duetto 40th Anniversary speakers in the Zebrano finish ($8999/pair), which I heard in the room hosted by Quebec-based electronics retailer Centre Hi-Fi, whose products from its own Absolu collection were being demonstrated.

Upstream components included a Technics SL-1300GPK turntable ($4499) with a…

Digital sources: dCS Lina DAC with Master Clock; LAiV Harmony µDAC, HoloAudio Spring3 KTE and Denafrips Terminator Plus DACs; TEAC VRDS-701T, Shanling ET3, and Sparkler Audio S515t CD transports.
Preamplifier: HoloAudio Serene.
Power amplifiers: Parasound Halo A21+, First Watt SIT-4, LAiV GaNM, Pass Labs XA-25.
Loudspeakers: Voxativ Hagen2, GoldenEar BRX, Falcon "Gold Badge" LS3/5a.
Cables: Speaker: Cardas Clear Beyond. Interconnects: AudioQuest Black Beauty, AudioQuest Mackenzie. Digital: AudioQuest Cinnamon (USB and coax). AC: AudioQuest…