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YG Acoustics and Supreme Acoustic Systems set up a massive, no-holds-barred system at T.H.E. Show in Southern California. It was certainly one of the show's largest systems—as well as being among the priciest—and it delivered huge sound.

YG Acoustics's Duncan Taylor and Supreme Acoustic Systems's Hiram Toro were on hand to share details. Taylor talked about the room's challenges, including a wall with several large panes of glass. They seemed to have overcome that with heavy curtains and with careful loudspeaker placement.

I had heard the flagship, four-tower YG Acoustics XV…

Description: Dedicated music server/streamer with up to 16TB storage via M.2 SSDs (up to 8TB internal, up to 8TB via expansion slot, all seen as a single volume). 20 internal processors (10 performance cores, 10 virtual cores). Memory: 32GB. Outputs: Two USB 3.2 Gen2 (for backup/optical drive), one PreciseUSB USB 2.0, one PreciseNET 1Gbps RJ45, and one HDMI (for service only). File formats: WAV, AIFF, FLAC, ALAC, AAC, MP3, DSF, DFF. PCM up to 32-bit/768kHz, DSD up to DSD256 via DoP or up to DSD512 via native DSD with compatible DACs. Music Library software:…

The exceptions—great rooms with speakers that aren't horn loaded—were by Avalon Acoustics, Auer Acoustics, and Matter. The Avalon Acoustics Saga Signature's "seamless linearity created a womblike embrace," I reported. Auer Acoustics' Versura V4 offered "an unblemished signal that…

The day after Walter visited, Jack Wu, the founder of Woo Audio, came by and picked up his beautiful $13,000 WA24 headphone amplifier. As soon as Jack left, at exactly 4:15pm, I set the Ideon eos DAC in the spot the WA24 had occupied…

I performed a full set of measurements on the Ideon eos using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system, then checked some of the test results with the magazine's higher-resolution APx555 analyzer. The coaxial S/PDIF inputs accepted data sampled at rates up to 192kHz, while Apple's AudioMIDI utility revealed that the USB port accepted 16-, 24-, and 32-bit integer data sampled at all rates from 44.1kHz to 768kHz. The USB Prober app identified the Processor as "Ideon USB Audio" from "IDEON AUDIO" and indicated that the USB port operated in the optimal isochronous…

"The two words I hate are 'dealer' and 'store'," he told me during an interview at an event he hosted at the—um, gallery he opened in March 2024. "It's just a relaxing place where people can come and listen to music." Melman's presence sets the tone: low-key, thoughtful, meticulous. Located in a rural setting about 45 minutes from Toronto, both the showroom and the landscape inspire relaxation.

A showroom that's pleasant to spend time in is hardly a new idea. Melman combines the space…

Analog sources: Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird turntable with EMT 912-HI tonearm and EMT JSD 6 moving coil cartridge, Sorane SA-1.2 tonearm with a Nagaoka MP-200 moving Permalloy cartridge, plus Audio-Technica ART20, Dynavector XX2A, Benz Micro Gullwing SLR, Hana Umami Blue and SL MKII moving coils. PrimaLuna EVO 100, MoFi MasterPhono, Sunvalley EQ1616D, and Schiit Stjarna phono stages.
Digital sources: HoloAudio Spring3 LTE and May KTE (Level 3) DACs, dCS Lina DAC with Master Clock; TEAC VRDS-701T and Sparkler Audio S515t CD transports.
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Velodyne Acoustics has appointed Playback Distribution as its exclusive U.S. distributor, with the partnership debuting at CEDIA 2025. Velodyne says the agreement renews its commitment to the U.S. market and is intended to provide integrators and dealers with consistent access to its subwoofer line.

"As a company with strong American roots, we're excited to partner with Playback Distribution to make Velodyne Acoustics more accessible to U.S. customers," said Mansour Mamaghani, owner of Velodyne Acoustics. "Playback brings the expertise needed to nurture and grow our…

Analog sources: J.Sikora Standard Max Supreme turntable with KV9 Max Zirconium tonearm, Aidas Tru-Stone Gold Web cartridge.
Digital sources: Tascam CD-200 iL player, HoloAudio May DAC.
Preamplifiers: Rogue Audio RP-7 (line). Tavish Audio Design Adagio, Manley Chinook (phono), Allnic H-5500.
Power amplifier: Air Tight ATM-1 2024 Edition.
Integrated amplifiers: Unison Research S6, Riviera Labs Levante.
Loudspeakers: Voxativ Ampeggio 2024, DeVore Fidelity Super Nine.
Cables: Interconnects: AudioQuest Pegasus, Triode Wire Labs Spirit II…

Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive units: 1" polyimide-diaphragm compression-driver tweeter with ferrite magnet mounted to a 6" × 5¾" aluminum horn; 2" midrange compression driver with a dome-shaped composite diaphragm and neodymium magnet mounted to a cast-metal 12½" × 7¼" horn; 15" paper-cone woofer with neodymium magnet and cast aluminum frame. Crossover frequencies: 500Hz, 6kHz. Frequency range: 32Hz–20kHz. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 99dB/2.83V/1m. Recommended power: 8–80Wpc.
Dimensions: 40" (1026mm) H ×…