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If you had to describe the kind of audio system that you would like to have, with only one word, what word would you choose? Some would choose the word "quality." In a book titled Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, from 1974, Robert Pirsig considers the word and concept as a worldview, as a fundamental way of thinking about things that encompasses both reason and feelings, in the pursuit of value, excellence, truth, nobility, perfection, goodness, and beauty. He capitalizes the word throughout the book. I'll do the same here.
Ola Björling speaks with Emil Kristensen of Audio Group Denmark about the company's new Børresen A-Series speakers and BM2 subwoofer, as well as the Aavik U-301 Unity amplifier that also incorporates streaming and DAC capabilities in one chassis, in a video interview that's now posted on our official YouTube channel.
For more with Audio Group Denmark, see Miguel Barrio's report on their setup at AXPONA 2026.
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Ola Björling speaks with Isaac Choi of Klaudio at High End Vienna 2026 about the company's new KD-CLN-LP200U ultrasonic record-cleaning machine, in addition to their Magnezar auto-clamping and non-clamping turntables and Tangential tracking tonearm, in a video interview that's now posted on our official YouTube channel.
For more with Klaudio, see Michael Trei's Spin Doctor #34 review of the Klaudio KD-CLN-LP200T ultrasonic record cleaning machine.
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Ola Björling speaks with Frank Vermeylen of MSB Technology Europe about the company's formidable, crafted-in-California DAC lineup that includes the brand-new Palisade, the Cascade, and the Sentinel, in a video interview that's now posted on our official YouTube channel.
For more with MSB Technology, see the Stereophile online archive.
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Last year, I reported on Stax's glamorous new SR-007S electrostatic earspeakers ($2390) in conjunction with the Stax SRM-700S driver amplifier. This report was extra fun because I was just finishing up a long romantic affair with a loaner pair of vintage Stax SR-Omegas about which, in his 1995 Stereophile review, Tom Norton declared: "If you want the truth, however—at least as honestly as I've heard it in any headphones—you want the Stax SR-Omegas." I declared the new version to be the most gloriously lifelike transducer since the Quad 57 and Stax's own F81 floorspeakers.
My taste in…
Note: As we arrive onsite to prepare for our coverage of High End Vienna and its many satellite shows, we share more of Jason Victor Serinus and Rogier van Bakel's coverage of Europe's second most important audio show, Audio Video Warsaw. Audio Video Warsaw 2026 will take place this fall, October 23-25, 2026. For Jason and Rogier's previous Warsaw show coverage, go here.
The final day of Audio Video Warsaw 2025 ended with claims that it was the second or third largest audio show in the world. Unique visitors reached a record 14,881. (High End may not count unique visitors, but…
Rob Schryer wrote about the Benchmark DAC3 B in July 2026
In his review of the Benchmark DAC3 B ($1799 when last reviewed, $1899 in 2026) John Atkinson designated it an "audiophile bargain" and added it to Class A+ in Stereophile's Recommended Components list, where it remains today alongside its more extensively outfitted brother, the DAC3 HGC ($2299, when last reviewed, $2399 in 2026),which Jim Austin reviewed earlier, in 2017 (footnote 1).
The DAC part of these components—the B and the HGC—is exactly the same. What's different is the feature set: To borrow from John's…
As Jason Victor Serinus reported just ahead of High End Vienna 2026 earlier this month, some of the expectant exhibitors didn't get the rooms they wanted—or any rooms at all. To be fair, that's not unique to the main Vienna show, as there have often been satellite events adjacent to other big trade shows that endeavor to pick up spill-over exhibitors, and some of those satellite shows are also genuinely preferred by the brands that participate in them.
In Vienna, there were no fewer than three such auxiliary shows, the smallest of which—Xclusive High End Show Vienna 2026—is the…
The July issue is a milestone in Stereophile's history: It's the last issue in which John Atkinson will be performing the measurements for our equipment reviews (footnotes 1 & 2). As a start toward digesting this momentous event, I asked JA1 some questions.
Jim Austin: Over your 50 years as an editor in the hi-fi industry, you've left a big mark. But let's start by recounting your history. You started at Hi-Fi News & Record Review in 1976, working under John Crabbe, then becoming editor of that magazine in 1982.
John Atkinson: I was working as a professional musician when…
Hi-fi listening bars have expanded far beyond Tokyo, which was their Ground Zero. They can be found in cities from Miami to London, from Brooklyn to Berlin. Recently, in Birmingham, Alabama, Bart Stephens opened High Dive, a listening lounge and restaurant that does things a little differently.
High Dive is intended to be a social place, where people can connect as they listen to music, whether it's live or recorded. "We don't want people to come in and be observers of our show. We want them to be at the center of the experience," Stephens told me in a recent interview.
High Dive…