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There are times when songwriters, particularly those who have been at it for a while, need a jolt, a shock to the system that gets their creative juices flowing again. An obvious example is Bruce Springsteen, who was inspired by 9/11 to write his last best group of songs, which became The Rising. Such troubled times call for protest, but writing songs that carry a message and don't sound preachy—…

In last month's column, I wrote about Audio Concepts, the Dallas dealership under new ownership, and their Community Vinyl Nights where anyone can come, bring a record, and share a track via one of the showroom's setups. In the December 2025 column, I discussed Denver-adjacent Wheat Ridge, Colorado–based Crescendo Fine Audio's expansion to a new location in…

Digital sources: 15" MacBook Air M2 Max running Roon 2.0. Roon ROCK (Lenovo ThinkCentre), iPhone 16 Pro Max, Eversolo DMP-10, Grimm Audio MU1, Aurender A20. Sony S9000ES SACD player.
Preamplifiers: Benchmark HPA4 line stage.
Power amplifiers: Krell FPB 200c (recapped), McIntosh MC462.
Integrated amplifiers: Audia Flight FLS10, T+A Symphonia.
Loudspeakers: Focal Utopia Scala EVO, Estelon X Diamond MkII.
Cables: Speaker: AudioQuest Thunderbird Zero. Interconnects: AudioQuest Thunderbird, Black Beauty, and Red River (RCA, XLR); Digital:…

Description: Three-way sealed-box passive loudspeaker. Drivers: 1.1" (28mm) diamond-coated beryllium-dome tweeter, 5" (127mm) Gen 8 Nano-Tec cone midrange driver, two 7" (178mm) Gen 8 Nano-Tec cone woofers. Crossover: three-way Elliptical Symmetry Crossover (ESXO), 24dB/octave Linkwitz-Riley. Crossover frequencies: 325Hz and 2350Hz. Frequency range: 26Hz–50kHz. Sensitivity: 86.5dB/2.83V/1m. Impedance: 4 ohms. Recommended amplifier power: 50–300Wpc.
Dimensions: 43.5" (1100mm) H × 15.5" (400mm) W × 13.6" (350mm) D with outriggers installed. Weight: 132lb (60kg…

Today, the blues qualify as a museum piece. While an endless stream of weekend-warrior blues bands still grinds away across the US, nothing new and different has happened in the music in many years, Buddy Guy's well-deserved 2026 Grammy Award notwithstanding. Blues is a music in which—similar perhaps to classical…

Retailer The Sound Choice presented an all-digital setup—a less common sight at Montreal Audiofest 2026 than you might expect. Front-end duties in this system were handled by a Matrix Audio pairing of the NT-1 network transport ($5990) and SC-1 clock ($7990) feeding a trio of tube-based Fezz Audio components: the Equinox Prestige DAC (designed by Lampizator, $4250), Sagita Prestige preamplifier ($3650), and a pair of 15W, class-A, parallel, single-ended triode Mira Ceti monoblocks ($10,000/pair), each fitted with a matched pair of Western Electric 300B tubes ($2200/pair).

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With digital playback (I didn't hear the analog front end), the system in the Bliss Acoustics room at Montreal Audiofest 2026 struck an impressive balance between power (rhythmic certainty, deep bass, and guttural impact) and finesse (tonal refinement, explicit texture, and a wide dynamic range that could shift effortlessly from explosive to micro-textured). It projected a vast, stable, harmonically rich soundscape…

Audio Note UK embodies the credo of keeping things simple and using the best parts. The system in the Audio Note room at the Montreal Audiofest, with the analog front-end, made a very strong case for their approach. (I didn’t get to hear the digital front end): I heard purity imbued with natura-sounding l resonance, oodles of earthy texture, and weight and immediacy that seemed organic and human.

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Not just great sound for the price but great sound, period. I only had the chance to hear the vinyl setup in the Hearken Audio Room at Montreal Audiofest 2026, but it was so nourishing musically I wanted for nothing. The sound was 300B-expressive: explicit, textured, immediate—but not overly rich. It was just right, never harsh but possessing an engaging musical ease that made me forget about the equipment and just enjoy the…