Jason Victor Serinus, Stephen Francis Vasta

July 2026 Classical Record Reviews

Jason Victor Serinus, Stephen Francis Vasta Jul 13, 2026

Holst: The Planets, Bax: Tintagel, London Symphony Orchestra, Tenebrae/Sir Antonio Pappano; Brahms: The Three Violin Sonatas, Andrew Wan, Charles Richard-Hamelin; Jonas Kaufmann: Magische Töne, Jonas Kaufmann, Nikola Hillebrand, Hungarian State Opera Orchestra/Dirk Kaftan; Rachmaninoff: The Bells; Symphonic Dances, Kristina Mkhitaryan, Dmytro Popov, Alexander Vinogradov, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and Choir/Karina Canellakis.

Music and Recording Reviews

July 2026 Rock/Pop Record Reviews

Robert Baird, Ray Chelstowski, Jason Victor Serinus Jul 13, 2026

T. Rex: Electric Warrior; Tasha Warren & Dave Eggar: MotherLoad; Bruce Hornsby: Indigo Park; Altin Gün: Garip; King Tuff: Moo; Snail Mail: Ricochet.

News

Dynaudio to Exit the US. Market

Jason Victor Serinus Jul 07, 2026

This developing story will be updated as information comes available. In a tersely worded press release that was leaked before its planned July 8 release date, Dynaudio A/S of Denmark announced its decision "to focus its future market development efforts on Europe and Asia as part of its long-term business strategy. As a result, the company ... will cease operations of its commercial activities in North America and permanently shut down its U.S. subsidiary in the fall of 2026."

News

AXISS Audio Distribution Files Federal Lawsuit - UPDATED

Jason Victor Serinus Jul 06, 2026

On July 2, major US audio distributor AXISS Audio filed a federal lawsuit against Michael Bovaird and his businesses (Suncoast Audio, Luxury Hi-Fi Distribution, and Clarisys Audio), Michael Gefteas, aka The Greek Audio Geek, and his business (Bespoke Audio), and Florian Wiegand, part owner of Clarisys Audio. In separate Facebook posts, The Greek Audio Geek and the other defendants have pushed back.

News

A Major Shake-Up at Audio Research and Acora Acoustics

Jason Victor Serinus Jul 02, 2026

David Gordon, Brand Ambassador of Audio Research.

Valerio Cora, who served for four years as executive leader of Minnesota-based Audio Research Corporation, founded Toronto-based loudspeaker company Acora Acoustics in 2018, and was a minority investor in both companies, has been relieved of his responsibilities. David Gordon (seen above), the longtime Brand Ambassador of Audio Research who departed the company on March 23, returned as ARC Brand Ambassador on June 15.

News

Remembering Vern Credille of Wilson Audio Specialties

Jason Victor Serinus Jun 26, 2026

Electrical engineer Vern Credille, 65, who spent more than three decades working alongside Wilson Audio founder Dave Wilson and, later in his career, Daryl Wilson, Dave's son and successor, died of cancer on Friday, June 12.

Audacious Audio Tube Power Amp Reviews

Octave Jubilee Class A monoblock power amplifier

Jason Victor Serinus Jun 26, 2026

A first for German manufacturer Octave is the Jubilee Class A mono ($85,000/pair), a push-pull class-A monoblock with a self-regulating autobias pentode circuit that can also run in "high power" class-AB mode. The Jubilee Class A monoblock uses KT120, KT150, or KT170 output tubes.

Music and Recording Reviews

June 2026 Classical Record Reviews

Jason Victor Serinus, Stephen Francis Vasta Jun 18, 2026

Lutosławski: Concertos for Cello and Orchestra & Bloch: Schelomo, Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello; Luxembourg Philharmonic, Gustavo Gimeno, cond. Steve Reich: The Sextets, The Colin Currie Group. Mahler: Symphony No.5, Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra; Sir Donald Runnicles, cond. Schubert: Octet, Scharoun Ensemble Berlin.

Audacious Audio Solid State Preamp Reviews

EMM Labs PREi line preamplifier

Jason Victor Serinus Jun 04, 2026

No grand pronouncements on the state of the industry or the even grander universe. No ruminations about the mysteries of the high end or the ultimate interconnect to immortality. Rather, a single, simple, indisputable fact: I needed a preamp.

News

High End 2026: Parsing the Big Picture

Jason Victor Serinus Jun 03, 2026

Now that the High End show has moved from Munich to Vienna, what will audiophiles encounter there this week? One thing they'll encounter is not one but a multiplicity of shows—the big, main show, and at least three much smaller shows.