3rd Edition
PAD Hifi, TAD speakers and electronics, Synergistic, Jocavi
Although TAD is a Japanese brand, there's something dry, almost German about the name, which stands for Technical Audio Devices. It's comparable, in my book, to T+A, one of Germany's leading high-end companies, whose initials mean Theorie + Anwendung--that's Theory + Application.
Focal, Naim & the Focal Stone8 Outdoor Speaker
Poor Tom Graham. At the Florida Audio Expo, the amiable Naim product specialist found himself hamstrung by the two rooms at his disposal: one a small boîte with an orange pair of Focal Sopra 3 speakers ($26,000) powered by Naim electronics, and an only slightly larger adjoining space where 300,000 dollars' worth of Naim Statement gear did its best to make Focal's rather beefy Maestro Utopia EVOs sing.
More Headphones: Warwick Acoustics, Aperio, Bravura, Sonoma
I've drifted away from using headphones in recent years, not because I don't enjoy them but because I enjoy them a little too much. That is, I tend to get into the swing of things when I wear them, and am soon inclined to turn up the volume as my excitement rises. That way lies tinnitus, which isn't a lot of fun.
Headphones in Florida: Moon Audio, Auris, Aurender, Chord, Audeze
A friend had advised me to go listen to the single-ended Auris Nirvana IV headphone amplifier ($5700), deeming it "in some ways" an improvement over Auris's beloved Headonia model. Mission accepted.
Von Schweikert Audio, VAC, Synergistic Research, and Scott Walker Audio
On the third and last day of the Florida Audio Expo, I realized I hadn't listened to Von Schweikert speakers in donkey's years. With only 35 minutes to spare till closing time, I made my way to the third-floor room where, according to the show literature, I should hear a pair of Von Schweikert Endeavor floorstanders ($31,000) being driven by a generous complement of multikilobuck tube components in a room cosponsored by Scott Walker Audio.
Endow Audio, Bravura, Hegel, iFi
At 32, David Strunk is one of the younger designers and entrepreneurs at the Florida show--and yet he's somewhat of a veteran. Strunk started seriously tinkering with electronics and audio when he was still in britches. Four years ago, he and his father, Tim, started Endow Audio with a hugely ambitious goal: redefining high-end speakers' capacity for sounding just like live music.
2nd Edition
A Chatbot's Take on Hi-Fi Issues
There has been much discussion lately about ChatGPT, the machine-learning- based chatbot from OpenAI. Some experts say it will soon make human writers obsolete. Will that include human hi-fi reviewers?
Two Follow-Up Reviews: Benchmark DAC3 B & Rotel DT-6000
Stereophile's March 2023 issue includes two follow-up reviews of high-performance digital playback products: the Benchmark DAC3 B D/A processor; and the Rotel Diamond Series DT-6000 DAC Transport (a CD player with digital inputs).
February 2023 Rock/Pop Record Reviews
There are singers, crooners, songwriters, and there's Peggy Lee--she was all three, earning both a Grammy and a place in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
February 2023 Jazz Record Reviews
If these four guys are not the best players in the Pacific Northwest on their respective instruments, they are all on very short lists. Scenes has made eight albums in the last 20 years.
February 2023 Classical Record Reviews
I became a Ruby Hughes fan late, 13 years after she had won two prizes at the 2009 London Handel Singing Competition. Once I heard her tonal purity and simplicity, I was hooked.
Analog Corner #260: CH Precision P1 phono preamplifier
Although Swiss-based CH Precision (footnote 1) is a relatively young company, its core design team has been involved in high-performance audio for many years.
1st Edition
Dave Alvin
Dave Alvin is a fighter. In the 1980s, when Dave and his older brother, Phil Alvin, shared studio and stage as co-founders of Los Angeles punkabilly band The Blasters, they frequently fought each other. They also fought musically, tussling over every note as the four-man band wrangled many great tunes.
ReDiscoveries #4: Lee "Scratch" Perry & King Scratch
"Whip dem, whip dem," sings Junior Byles on "Beat Down Babylon," to the accompaniment of whip cracks that recall the ones on Frankie Laine's "Mule Train."
Dynaudio Focus 10 active loudspeaker
Almost five years after I submitted my review of Dynaudio's Focus 200 XD class-D active bookshelf loudspeaker—my first product review for Stereophile—word of its imminent successor, the digital Focus 10 class-D active bookshelf loudspeaker ($5500/pair), and its two larger siblings arrived via Mike Manousselis, Dynaudio North America's president, Americas.
Rotel RA-6000 integrated amplifier
Before this month, I'd never experienced Rotel amplification in one of my own systems, but I have memories of how their amplifiers sounded back in the early 1990s. In those days, at audio shows, I would audition every Rotel amp I could find; I was especially interested in their $369, 60Wpc RB-960BX.
Revinylization #38: At My Window by Townes Van Zandt
To be a poet is to be tormented. And singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt's demons were relentless: mental illness, addiction, willful recklessness. He constantly complicated his life and the lives of those around him. Even fans who felt lucky just to have him play their town were unwittingly drawn in, often exhilarated but occasionally aghast.
Re-Tales #29: Carving Out Space in the Real World
In last month's Re-Tales column, I discussed the impact the current economy is having on the hi-fi industry. Some hi-fi companies said sales have "normalized" after widespread, dramatic increases during the COVID years—which is to say, sales are down relative to their peak but still strong.
Source Stereophile
