First-Ever DVD-Audio Disc Premiered in Berlin
Earlier this month, at the Internationale Funkausstellung 1999 in Berlin, Germany, Syrinx">http://www.syrinx.de">Syrinx music & media announced that, together with Panasonic/Technicshttp://www.panasonic.com/">Panasonic/Technics; and their new DVD-Audio players (see previous">http://www.stereophile.com/news/10509/">previous story), they successfully presented the world's first DVD-Audio disc. The Internationale Funkausstellung 1999 ran from August 28 until September 5 under the theme of "Your World of Consumer Electronics."
Five-alarm fire storms resolution A/V in Red Hook, Brooklyn
At 1am on September 17, 2025, Adam Wexler’s phone broke through his snores. He silenced the call and rolled over. Four hours later, the insistent ring jolted him awake. “When Ray, an amazing man who oversees the pier and runs everything around here, called me at 1am, I ignored it,” Wexler recalled, “though fire did cross my mind, because this space is entirely timber. Then my employee Robert Kapszewicz called, and I went to the warehouse at 5:30am.”
Flesh on the Bones: Dynaudio Details US Exit
As we reported on July 7, 2026, Denmark-based Dynaudio will exit the US pro and consumer audio markets by year-end. Via email, Tom Fine spoke with Julien Bergere, Dynaudio's Chief Commercial Officer, to provide further context and additional details about how warranties will continue to be honored.
Florida Audio Expo is 2021's First Audio-Show Casualty
The organizers of the 2021 Florida Audio Expo have announced the show's cancellation. All deposits, the organizers say, have already been refunded.
Florida Retailer's Grand Opening Next Weekend
January 26 & 27: Florida retailer Bending Wave USA (10404 West State Road 84, Suite 101, Davie, FL 33324) is holding a Grand Opening celebration, featuring loudspeakers and cables from Göbel High-End in Germany and electronics from CH Precision.
Flowerburger Records Petitions Parliament to Stop P2P Lawsuits
In a gesture that mirrors a petitionhttp://www.eff.org/share/petition/">petition; the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF) is presenting to Congress, Flowerburger Records is circulating a petitionhttp://www.flowerburger.com/">petition; requesting that the British Parliament and the BPI, Britain's recording industry trade group, stop the lawsuits against music fans and develop constructive alternatives aimed at compensating artists.
Focal & Naim to Merge Operations
Summer's end is traditionally known as "the silly season" in European newsrooms, but there was nothing silly about the bombshell of a press release that arrived on the desks of hi-fi journalists on August 19. Two of Europe's most successful and best-established high-end audio brands, Focal and Naim Audio, announced that they are joining forces to create a new company, Focal & Co., under the chairmanship of Focal founder Jacques Mahul. With a combined annual earnings of nearly £50 million ($82 million), ca £31 million for Focal and ca £18 million for Naim) and more than 300 employees, Focal & Co. will automatically become a European hi-fi leader in terms of sales and resources.
Focal and Naim Debut Diva Utopia: A Fully Active, Wireless, High-End Loudspeaker Lands in the US
The Focal Diva Utopia loudspeaker made its US debut in New York City this past week, showcasing the combined expertise of French and English partners Focal and Naim in their first fully active, wireless, and connected loudspeaker.
Focal and Naim Audio CEO Cedrick Boutonet and group marketing manager Réjean Bedel were on hand to introduce the Diva Utopia at Manhattan’s Par Excellence store located in NYC’s fashionable East Village and the Bowery, where the city’s derelict community once held sway, now replaced by hip cafés and bars.
Focal Diva Mezza Utopia Active Wireless Loudspeakers Unveiled
Focal has just announced the Diva Mezza Utopia, a larger and more powerful sibling to the Diva Utopia active wireless speaker system it debuted last year. The new addition maintains the Diva Utopia form factor and aesthetic while upping the size of the four woofers from 6.5" to 8" and power from 400W to 500W per speaker. The result is a speaker system Focal states will "effortlessly fill" rooms up to 1076 sq ft. in size with sound.
Focal-JMlab Does It All In-House
A four-day break between the Top Audio Show in Milan (September 14–17) and the Hi-Fi News Show in London (September 22–24) presented the perfect opportunity to accept a longstanding invitation from speaker manufacturer Focal-JMlab to visit its manufacturing facilities in France.