Analog sources: Thorens TD 124 turntable with Korf TA-SF9R tonearm, HS-A02 ceramic headshell, Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250 MM cartridge, Kuzma CAR-30 MC cartridge with Grimm PW1 phono preamplifier.
Digital sources: Tascam CD-200 iL CD player, HoloAudio May DAC.
Integrated amplifiers: Riviera Labs Levante, Unison Research S6 Black Edition.
Loudspeakers: GoldenEar BRX, Voxativ Ampeggio 2024, Wharfedale Super Linton.
Cables: Interconnects: AudioQuest Pegasus and Firebird, Triode Wire Labs Spirit II (RCA), Spirit 75 S/PDIF (RCA/BNC). Speaker:…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
It's been said before, but the essential truth remains as shiny as a new 2A3 tube: A well-made, good-sounding integrated amplifier is a sonic marvel, a triumph of audio engineering.
Sound quality is just the beginning. Consider economics. An integrated amplifier is gentler on the wallet than often-cumbersome separate pre and power amplifiers. It's the Marie Kondo of the audio world, decluttering your hi-fi rack with hardnosed efficiency. Fewer connections mean even more value—fewer expensive cables—less fuss, and a refined, all-inclusive electrical architecture tucked into one (often but…
Peter Qvortrup and Adrian Ford-Crush brought a smashing Audio Note UK system to New Jersey, including the US premiere of the brand's TT Three Reference turntable ($63,000). It fed an AN-1S Sogon tonearm ($16,730), fitted with an IO I moving coil cartridge ($5586), then into an AN-S8 step-up transformer ($18,130).
Digital was delivered via a CDT Four (CDT-Four) CD transport ($23,100) aided by the US premiere of the Izvor ladder DAC ($TBA).
The Meishu Konzertmeister 300B integrated amplifier ($65,100) drove the AN-E/SPx Ltd. field coil loudspeakers ($65,000/pair) which I reviewed…
Audio Group Denmark's Peter Hansen, Børresen founder Michael Børresen, and Aavik's Lars Kristensen brought multiple products in two separate configurations to T.H.E. Show.
EMC 1 held two large systems. System one comprised Aavik separates: SD-588 Streamer/DAC ($30,000), I-588 integrated ($30,000), P-588 stereo power amplifier ($30,000). Børresen M2 flagship floorstanding speakers ($199,500/pair) and Børresen A3 BBM active bass modules ($21,000/ea.) were also employed.
An Ansuz D3 loom of cables and accessories included Ansuz Mainz8 D3 power distributor ($10,000), Ansuz…
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…