Larry Borden of the New Jersey dealer Distinctive Stereo is one of the most affable show hosts I've encountered. He's perpetually ready with a warm smile and another captivating tale about one of the many marathons he has completed.
Larry's system consisted of The Wand 14-4 Master turntable ($8450) with The Wand Dark-Light tonearm ($8500; $15,255 ifor the 'table–arm combo). The cartridge was an Ortofon 2M Black ($750). A Heed Thesis Delta CD player ($4200) and a Heed Abacus S DAC ($1900) processed digital music.
A Heed Elixir integrated amplifier ($1750) drove…
Let's begin by discussing what SAT's XD1 Record Player System is not: It is not a Technics SP-10R in a sci-fi–inspired plinth—although the XD1's engine does begin life as the SP-10R's basic drive system, which is stripped down to a handful of essential components, reimagined, reengineered, and rebuilt to much higher mechanical standards.
Marc Gomez, SAT's designer, holds a master's degree in mechanical engineering and materials science. Before dedicating himself to creating the SAT tonearm—by far the finest sounding and performing arm I've yet encountered (as unanimously corroborated by…
At least three premieres, a number of rooms with glorious sound, and reunions with old friends both human and electronic distinguished my romp through the hallways of Warsaw's PGE Narodowy on the first day of Audio Video 2025 in Warsaw. Compared to other days I've spent at shows in Chicago, Munich, Florida, and Seattle, it was a pretty fine day.
First up was Diapason's launch of its new two-way Didascal“a loudspeaker (59,000 euros + VAT). Dubbed a "cherished design in Italian history" by Alessandro Schiavi, President of Diapason Italia, it is said to incorporate classic knowledge of…
Women have undeniably become the most dynamic and vital creative force in music today. Without their good energies and ideas, music, which in the digital age has become more background than art, would be much less interesting and inspiring.
Many and perhaps most of today's popular-music superstars are women: Beyoncé, Adele, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and of course Taylor Swift. Beyond the headlines is a vast world of independent and assertive music creation. From the costumed, Black Sabbath–indebted metal stylings of Riley…
In Robin D.G. Kelley's definitive, 450-page biography of Thelonious Monk, Monk and tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse first meet on p.100, in 1944. Their next encounter comes 91 pages (11 years) later, when Rouse is working with Monk at the Music Barn concert series in the Berkshires. Then, from p.250 to p.409—that's 1958–1969, when the two parted ways—there aren't many pages that don't bear Rouse's name. The two are not only linked in music history; they are literally together in heaven—in the heavens rather: Astronomer Joe Montani named asteroids after them. Monk, of course, is one of the half…
Neil Blanchard Designs offers bespoke DIY speaker kits—purchase the build manual and matching cabinets, each available separately through his website. Blanchard presented his Tower 4T4 Mass Loaded Transmission Line Speakers; its build manual is $200. Accompanying 18mm‑thick Baltic Birch cabinet panels, which Blanchard calls Flat Packs, cost between $525–$625, plus shipping. Choose your own drivers and dial in the sound you prefer. His Super Tower prototype speakers were also in the room.
Post‑show, Blanchard wrote "The mid-woofers in the Tower 4T4 are the Dayton Audio…
Robin Wyatt is a good egg, a mensch, a stand-up guy. Not only does Robin create badass listening rooms and occasionally shower attendees with fine scotch; he's also generous to a fault. Most recently, Robin donated a Miyajima 78 cartridge to The Hot Club of New York, which plays 78s on a restored vintage system. It's a must-hear room if you're in New York's Flatiron District.
In New Jersey, Robin joined forces with Bill Magerman and Nick Fitzsimmons of Rogue Audio to create a superb-sounding system featuring the world debut of the Rogue Audio M250 Ultra monoblock…
Jason Tavares of New York's HiFi Loft presented not one but two instantly eye- and ear-catching systems. The big-rig system combined a Soulines tt42 turntable ($15,400 without arm(s) or cartridges) with Electrocompaniet electronics: the EMC 1 MKV CD player ($7200) and ECM 1 MKII streamer/DAC ($6000).
An Electrocompaniet ECP 2 MKII phono preamp ($3200) and a Soulines The Loop tube phono preamplifier ($2500) conveyed analog signals.
The Electrocompaniet EC 5 preamplifier (TBA) was also in the system—a US debut—accompanied by Electrocompaniet AW 800 M monoblock…
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…
