I was walking with my neighbor, guide, old friend, and fabled "blue saloon" limo driver Beau Ranheim when I heard a shout from afar. It was another old friend, Todd Garfinkle of M•A Recordings, yelling over the din in the crowded marketplace at Capital Audiofest 2025. "Hey Herb! Are you ready to go to Japan?"
To which I shouted back, "Absolutely!" A week later, there was an itinerary in my email.
First to Penang, Malaysia, to tell stories about our audio hobby at the Northern…
Here I heard a pair of Sopraninos in two different configurations. The first was atop EnigmAcoustics M1 loudspeakers ($14,900/pair). Paired with Ayre's V5-XE amplifier and K5-XE preamp, a Mac Mini as source, and Cardas' Golden Cross speaker cables, Clear balanced interconnects, and USB cable, the system produced a…
Photo by Ola Björling.
As reported here on July 7, 2026, Denmark-based Dynaudio will exit the US pro and consumer audio markets by year-end.
Dynaudio is a speaker-centric company founded in 1977. It produces most or all of its own speaker drivers in its Skanderborg, Denmark, factory and in a Chinese factory.
Via email, I spoke with Julien Bergere, Dynaudio's Chief Commercial Officer. Bergere provided context and details lacking in the original press release, and confirmed American owners of Dynaudio speakers can expect their warranty to be fully honored.
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On July 2, major US audio distributor AXISS Audio filed a federal lawsuit against Michael Bovaird and his businesses (Suncoast Audio, Luxury Hi-Fi Distribution, and Clarisys Audio), Michael Gefteas, aka The Greek Audio Geek, and his business (Bespoke Audio), and Florian Wiegand, part owner of Clarisys Audio. In separate Facebook posts, The Greek Audio Geek and the other defendants have pushed back.
In a legal notice to the Hi-Fi Community, posted on its website, AXISS owner Cliff Duffey writes, "After very careful consideration over the past several months, we made the difficult…
Description: Direct-drive, three-speed (33 1/3, 45, and 78rpm) manual turntable with digitally controlled twin-rotor coreless brushless DC motor; 4-layer body; magnesium S-shaped tonearm; built-in high-speed switching power supply; individually numbered, limited edition. 3-layer aluminum diecast, rubber, and brass platter: 13 5/64" (332mm) diameter, 7.9lb (3.6kg) including heavy rubber turntable mat. Startup time: 0.7 seconds to 33 1/3rpm (about 0.4 rotation); electronic braking. Wow and flutter: 0.025% WRMS. Static-balance tonearm with precision gimbal bearing,…
In a tersely worded press release that was leaked before its planned July 8 release date, Dynaudio A/S of Denmark announced its decision "to focus its future market development efforts on Europe and Asia as part of its long-term business strategy. As a result, the company ... will cease operations of its commercial activities in North America and permanently shut down its U.S. subsidiary in the fall of 2026."
The statement, issued from Dynaudio headquarters in Skanderborg, Denmark…
Vinyl playback: Technics SL-1200MKV turntable with KAB 3-speed mod, fluid damping, and tonearm wiring; Hana SL MK II, Nagaoka MP-700, Ortofon 2M Bronze and 2M Blue, Shure V15 Type III, and Audio-Technica AT-VM95 cartridges.
Phono preamplifier: Pro-Ject Phono Box RS2.
Digital playback: dCS Bartók APEX streaming D/A processor.
Preamplifier: Benchmark LA-4.
Power amplifier: Benchmark AHB2.
Loudspeakers: Bowers & Wilkins 808.
Accessories: Butcher Block Acoustics equipment rack, SME and Technics turntable cables, various cables and…
Though nearly all of us have to factor convenience and cost into what we consume, to much of the planet's population, our mediocrity looks like an affluent fantasy. I recall my first, utterly blissful visit to a US shopping mall as a college freshman. I couldn't…
Bakman's credits include structural analyses of airplane wing assemblies and engine attachments, and parts of the airframe and landing gear for helicopters. He's also worked for NASA, and participated in the design of the next generation of the Space Shuttle. (You can read more about his background on Onedof's website (footnote 1). You're guaranteed a laugh at the bottom of the page.)
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