Dr. Feickert Analogue shows us the new Virgo SE turntable at High End Vienna 2026
Ola Björling talks to Dr. Christian Feickert about Dr. Feickert Analogue's new turntable, the Virgo SE, at High End Vienna 2026.
Ola Björling
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T+A MP 3100 HV G3 multisource player
When auditioning a new audio component, I invariably start with some ideas about what I should listen for, based on my preconceptions about the pitfalls and propensities of products in its category. For example, with digital, I'm listening for sound that's awake and unprocessed. With every component, I start by hoping I can spot their colorations and assess their level of importance.
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EMM Labs PREi line preamplifier
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.
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High End 2026: Parsing the Big Picture
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.
Seismic shifts at MBL, Audio Research
Two major figures in high end audio have quietly moved on from long-held positions.
Sound Chaser #9: Derek Trucks Keeps the Jam-Band Sound Alive
You could say that guitar phenom Derek Trucks grew up in a musical family. His late uncle, drummer Butch Trucks, was a cofounder of The Allman Brothers Band, and his younger brother Duane drums for Widespread Panic. Derek's jam-centric DNA shaped the sound found in the grooves of Future Soul (Fantasy), the sixth studio album from Tedeschi Trucks Band/
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Audio Note UK at AXPONA 2026
Audio Note UK presented an entry-level system in room 1403 at AXPONA 2026. Miguel Barrio reports on how it sounded.
Warsaw wraps up royally
As we arrive onsite to prepare for our coverage of High End Vienna and its many satellite shows, we continue to share Jason Victor Serinus and Rogier van Bakel's coverage of Europe's second most important audio show, Audio Video Warsaw. Next up: Jason reports on what he saw and heard from the likes of Galeria Audio, Franco Serblin, OePhi Audio, OrWaTi, Amphion, Brunoco Audio, and wraps things up with a powerhouse system from Raidho and Simaudio.
JVS's Day Two romp in the Blu playground
As we prepare for our coverage of High End Vienna and its many satellite shows, we share Jason Victor Serinus and Rogier van Bakel's coverage of Europe's second most important audio show, Audio Video Warsaw. First up: Jason reports on what he saw and heard from Dutch & Dutch, Pure Audio, and Grandinote—plus his life-altering experience with Soft Collective.
Brilliant Corners #39: Koetsu Reborn
I find myself appreciating more and more the way perfectionist audio—a peculiar mix of art, craft, and engineering—tends to attract idealists. Temperamentally, hi-fi people tend to be unlike people involved in the manufacture of ring-joint gaskets or digital kitchen timers—activities that, without a doubt, have their own scales of excellence.
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