Tom Fine

Stand Loudspeaker Reviews Subwoofer Reviews

SVS Ultra Evolution Bookshelf loudspeaker & SB-3000 R|Evolution subwoofer

Tom Fine Aug 21, 2026

Those of us who like to listen to music at room-filling scale may worry when we sit between a pair of standmount speakers. Sure, many of us have heard remarkably large and expansive sound from relatively smallish boxes . . . But it's always a crapshoot. Will that little two-way speaker excite my blood to musical ecstasy or boil it in frustration?

News

Flesh on the Bones: Dynaudio Details US Exit

Tom Fine Jul 23, 2026

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.

Turntable Reviews

Technics SL-1200GME/SL-1210GME turntable

Tom Fine Jul 23, 2026

Like life, audiophilia often takes unexpected turns. A while back, I happily put my turntable and records on ice, for much of the 1990s and the first part of the current century. Yet lately I find myself further down the phonography rabbit hole than I have been in decades.

Solid State Power Amp Reviews

SPL Performer s900 power amplifier

Tom Fine Jul 02, 2026

In building my listening systems over the years, my primary goal has been to hear as much of the source recordings, and as little of the system itself, as possible. Every piece of every system imposes its own sound to some degree onto what comes out of the speakers. I don't only mean obvious, measurable things like distortion, noisefloor, S/N ratio, and so on.

ReDiscoveries

ReDiscoveries #14: Real-Life Influencers, Rock'n'Roll Style

Tom Fine Jun 14, 2026

Here's what real influencers do: If you're Carl Perkins, every song on your first LP was covered by Beatles. If you're Muddy Waters, the Rolling Stones named their band after one of your songs.. If you're Chuck Berry, you influenced anyone who has ever considered themselves rock'n'rollers. And if you're Johnny Cash, you were the original Outlaw Country artist, and you invented the country-rock nexus.

News

Bill Voss, Technics's man in the US, retires

Tom Fine Jun 12, 2026

Bill Voss of Technics retired in June 2026 after 44 years with parent company Panasonic, the past decade as US Business Development Manager during Technics' successful relaunch as a hi-fi major player.

Revinylized!

Revinylization #75: Heart's Dreamboat Annie Gets a Sonic Facelift

Tom Fine Jun 08, 2026

Hard rock in the 1970s was mostly a game for dudes. Although Janis Joplin and Grace Slick had broken through in the 1960s with major rock hits, Coven lead singer Jinx Dawson had gained some notoriety, and Fanny (one of the first all-female rock bands) had some success, the rock charts were male dominated. Enter the Wilson sisters, Ann and Nancy.

Audacious Audio Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

Ø Audio Verdande loudspeaker

Tom Fine May 28, 2026

Full-range speakers are usually at least three-way rather than two-way, for good reasons. Although a three-way crossover network is harder to do right, and there can be phase-coherence issues if the drivers aren't well-matched and well-integrated, a two-way speaker with a woofer big enough to generate room-filling lows is even more difficult.

News

BMG and Concord to merge

Tom Fine May 06, 2026

Tom Fine reports on the impending merger between BMG Rights Management GmbH, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann Group, and Concord Music Group.

Headphone Reviews

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 Bluetooth/Wired Headphones

Tom Fine May 05, 2026

The first headphones I owned, circa mid-1970s, were made by Pioneer. They jutted out from my ears, with small, paper-cone speakers inside. "Head-Fi" is a whole different world nowadays than it was back then. The biggest change is Bluetooth, which lets us untether ourselves from our stereo systems.