Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: End of line
I love California. Just wanted to put that out there. Yep. Sure do. [Sigh]. Visiting SoCal for me is always makes me a bit maudlin. Back in ’07, I had a job offer in hand […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: So long, saddle pals
Well, that’s another Newport show put to bed. My third Newport, as a matter of fact, and my second as a “member of the press” (I still have a hard time saying that with a […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: Kirsten’s grab bag, with Mytek, MBL, KEF, Gingko Audio
Mytek I’ve been consistently pretty impressed with Mytek Digital‘s Stereo192 DSD DAC, so I was eager to try out their new Manhattan DAC headphone preamplifier ($4,995, $3,995 introductory price), their first DAC designed solely with […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: Scot’s Grab Bag of High-End Stereo, stuffed full of Audioengine, Bob’s Devices, Focal, Raidho, MBL, Perfect8, Planter, Roksan and Vivid
Audioengine Brett and Brady and Morgan were all on hand, showing off the upcoming Audioengine B1, a Bluetooth DAC that supports the latest AptX codecs for what seemed — to my ears at least — to […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: Scot’s Grab Bag of High-End Headphones, stuffed full of ADL, AIX, Daren Fong, HiFiMAN, LH Labs, Mytek, Obravo, Questyle and WyWires
ADL Alpha Design Labs by Furutech (aka, ADL) had a small personal-audio table dotted with some tasty bits, including the new A1 and X1 portable headphone amp/DAC designed to pair with Android or Apple devices, […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: Cake Audio serves up Rockport, BAT and Brinkmann, but the ice cream didn’t make it
I spent a year taking classes in French pastry, so you’ll pardon me as my head whips around every time someone says “Cake”. It’s a problem. Stepping into the Cake Audio room here at Newport, […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: Astell&Kern and the impossible room
The Sunset Lounge at the Atrium hotel is a great space, big, roundish, with high ceilings … with a wall of curving glass. Lots of light, with plenty of room to do whatever. Acoustically … […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: Acoustic Zen and Questyle, shaking things up
In what seemed tantamount to a divorce, I found Robert Lee of Acoustic Zen demoing a system without tubes. I don’t think this has ever happened in my experience, and quite frankly, I was worried. […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: Brooks Berdan spins VPI, Magico, strikes a Chord
SoCal dealer Brooks Berdan was showing off some very fancy electronics at Newport this year, and when I turned the corner and saw the recently reviewed $30k Direct Drive Signature turntable from VPI and Light Harmonic‘s $31k Dual DAC, I […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: Usher gets a Pass, runs for glory
Katli Audio was showing off the new Pass Labs electronics, fronted by Usher Audio loudspeakers. This was a crowded front half of the room. Big aluminum faceplates covered the floor between two hulking speakers; a stuffed rack of […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: Peachtree Audio clanks some brassy ones
Peachtree Audio‘s frontman Jonathan Derda is a terrifying man. I mean, sure, he’s all spit-and-polish in the room, all professional with his smooth baritone presentation and casual dress. But beneath those dark, wavy curls lies a […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: GTT Audio & Video gets a little Grimm, neat-freaks rejoice
Ever look across the room at your rack full of gear and mess of cables and think, “Man, there’s gotta be an easier way”? I have a feeling someone at Grimm Audio was thinking the […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: Mal’s grab bag, stuffed with SPL, Resonessence, ESS, PTE
SPL Phonitor 2 SPL was on hand to show off their round-about-two-grand-ish (list and street prices bracket that number) Phonitor 2 fully balanced headphone amp, preamp, and matrixed crossfeed swiss army knife. A quick audition […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: I’ve got my E.A.R. on, do you?
Dan Meinwald of E.A.R. USA was demoing some outrageously fine gear from a variety of the brands he imports. Front and center were the majestic Coltrane Tenor from Marten, retailing at $85k/pair. I still can’t […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: Acapella blows its big, blue horns
I had one personal goal for this show: torturing people with a big band played at full volume. If you heard Count Basie’s C.B. Express blaring out of a room, that probably meant that my […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: Gingko Audio brings Wells, LampizatOr and DanaCable
A few things stood out in the Gingko Audio room, and by “stood out”, I mean, “tugged on my pants-leg and begged for attention”. The first was the honkin’ speaker cables from DanaCable. They are, […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: Cavalli Audio, all glass and gold
Sometimes, you just hit the nail so squarely, you can just feel it disappear cleanly into the wood. It’s a satisfying feeling, isn’t it? Whack! This is pretty much the feeling I got the first time I […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: Highend-Electronics presents Voxativ, KR Audio, Aurorasound
Every time I visit Highend-Electronics, I hear something cool, and I’m not just talking about the equipment. Over the past couple of years, it’s become abundantly clear that Alfred Kainz either shares my taste in music, […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: TechDAS and the Phantom Elite push quite a few envelopes
TechDAS splashed across the radar with their Air Force One mega turntable, a tour-de-force vinyl system which clocked in at condo prices (aka, somewhere around $100k), and that was before you’ve invested in a tonearm or […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: AudioKinesis and Electra-Fidelity break their demo, cause riots and mayhem
There are two stops I plan to make at every show. The first is whatever room is haunted by Tony Chipelo of Electra-Fidelity and his amps. The second, when the rare opportunity presents itself, is […]