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As the Spin Doctor, I tend to lead an analog life. I'm not just talking about my preferred ways of listening to music, but also my approach to other everyday technology. For decades, there has been a push to turn everything we use into a connected, "smart" device. We now have technology that allows us to change the color temperature of the lights in our living room while we sit on the sofa, or to answer our front doorbell from the other side of the world. I prefer an older-school approach. For one thing, I drive a very analog car, a 33-year-old Mercedes-Benz diesel, which, once started, could…
Springfield, Illionois–based Legacy Audio, which is under new ownership, promised a "Total HiFi Experience" at the "Legacy Audio Showcase." They weren't kidding. Creating three rooms out of a single lower-level chamber plus a larger, special-purpose room, Legacy Audio provided a different listening experience around each corner.
Room one was dubbed The Aeris XD System, showcasing Legacy Audio's Aeris XD loudspeaker ($36,000/pair), driven by the iV2 Ultra amplifier ($6000), augmented by twin Metro XD subwoofers ($4000 each). Processing and room correction were handled by the Wavelet 2…
Norm Steinke, Burmester sales manager for the US, presented two complete Burmester Audio systems at T.H.E. Show in New Jersey. Both systems were composed of components drawn from Burmester’s tiered product lines: Signature Line, Reference Line, Top Line, Classic Line. The two displayed setups featured an assortment of components divided among these categories.
System one consisted of a Reference 111 music server/streamer ($60,000), Reference 175 turntable ($65,000), Top Line 088 preamp ($37,000), Reference 218 amplifier ($60,000), and in a debut, a pair of BX100 loudspeakers ($110,000/…
Tony Minasian brought his handsome Oriaco loudspeakers and his own CDs recorded with top players as sources.
"We don't manufacture speakers; we craft instruments of acoustic truth," Minasian states at his Oriaco Audio website. "Our dedication to perfection demands complete oversight of the creative process, which is why we design and manufacture our own drivers, modify existing drivers to our standards, hand-select premium components for crossovers and cabinets, and employ proprietary measurement systems that push the boundaries of precision engineering."
The Burbank,…
Shayne Tenace is a cigar smoker, like me. So once we meet up at shows, we know smoke is in the works! But first, business.
Shayne's gorgeous-looking Burmester system included a Top Line 151 MK2 Musiccenter CD player/network ($30,000), a Top Line 088 preamplifier ($37,000), and a Reference Line 218 power amplifier ($60,000). The amplifier was driving a pair of B38 loudspeakers ($35,000/pair). A 948 power conditioner ($12,000) completed the array.
Honestly, this kind of shiny, solid state componentry is not usually my thing. There wasn't a turntable in sight, much less tubes or…
In the high-end audio industry, the representation of women in professional roles is strikingly low. Yet these women are integral to every facet of the industry, from engineering and design to leadership, proving that their contributions are vital. To name just a few: There's EveAnna Dauray Manley, who recently sold her company, Manley Laboratories, Inc., to music tech entrepreneur Dirk Ulrich. There's Inès Adler of Voxativ, whose "contagious passion for audio is built right into her components," which "makes every Voxativ visit a blast," I wrote about the Voxativ room at High End Munich 2025…
Aaron Sherrick of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s Now Listen Here is an old hand at making show systems sing. He pulled off his magic trick in Jersey as he has at shows far and wide, as well as inside his Harrisburg storefront.
Sherrick’s system included a VPI Avenger Direct turntable ($40,000; additional tonearm $6200), the new Backert Labs Optik Phono 1.1 ($11,500; intended for use with DS Labs optical cartridges). Phono cartridges were the DS Audio W3 ($5500) and W3 Mono ($5500). Other source duties called upon were a Rockna Wavedream Reference Signature DAC ($26,900) and an Innuos…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Paul Miller measured the F-Dur turntable and its F-Note tonearm for sister publication Hi-Fi News. PM found the F-Dur superior to its predecessor, the older EAT Forte S, with its TPE-damped alloy platter, "continuous polymer belt with carbon fiber, and low-noise AC motor."
Paul found very low through-groove noise, at –74dB (DIN B-weighted), and very good absolute speed accuracy—just 0.045% slow. Peak wow was very low, at 0.02%, and flutter—higher-frequency…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Thorens TD 124 turntable with Korf TA-SF9R tonearm/HS-A02 Ceramic Headshell. Cartridges: Kuzma CAR-30 MC, Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250 MM.
Digital sources: Tascam CD-200 iL CD player, HoloAudio May DAC.
Preamplifiers: Rogue RP7 (line). Tavish Audio Design Adagio, Manley Chinook, PrimaLuna EVO 100, Allnic DT-5000 (phono).
Integrated amplifiers: Riviera Labs Levante, Unison Research S6 Black Edition.
Power amplifiers: Air Tight ATM-1 2024 Edition, Rogue Audio Stereo 100.
Loudspeakers: Voxativ Ampeggio 2024, Volti Audio Lucera,…
Atlantis Lab’s Yusuke Yasuda, and Decibel+’s Gabriel Andrés Toro brought one of the most surprising systems of the show, featuring Neoson tubed amplifiers and Atlantis Lab loudspeakers, both brands manufactured in France.
The system included also a HiFi Rose RS250A streamer ($2650), supplanting a misbehaving Audiobyte SuperHub ($4000). An Audiobyte Super Vox DAC ($4500), and two Neoson tube amplifiers were in use: the 10Wpc Genèse ($7885) and 20Wpc Evolution ($11,828). This front-end drove Atlantis Lab AT18 ($4960/pair) and AT31 ($14,194/pair) bookshelf speakers and AT16…