For the merry traveling circus known as the audio show.
For the last couple of years, the Avantgarde Acoustics room has been one of the most crowded at High End in Munich. And why not? Gigantic horns in a big room are a big draw–as […]
It was at this year’s AXPONA, in the Luxman and Magico room, when I finally realized I’d had it with my spotty, inconsistent camera work and I decided to buy something that would help get […]
This is the second time I’ve visited my buddies Damon Von Schweikert, Leif Swanson and Kevin Hayes at High End Munich, and their VAC and VSA systems there offer an interesting contrast to the gigantic-ness […]
If you haven’t heard of True Life Audio, aka TLA, you should quickly read Panagiotis Karavitas‘ review of these ultra high-end components from Greece. Dr. K was “truly” impressed by the sound quality and build […]
I’ve gone on and on in the past about the Naim NAIT 2 integrated amplifier I owned back in the ’90s, and how it’s probably at the top of my list of hi-fi components I […]
The Audio Note Kondo room at High End 2023 in Munich was one of the strangest exhibit rooms I’ve ever visited. If you don’t know, Audio Note Kondo from Japan is one of those rare […]
Kawero! No, that’s not my punctuation mark, but part of the brand name. I first learned about this German speaker manufacturer at my first High End Munich show in 2019, where it was part of […]
A few years ago, someone had asked me if I had gone into the Silbatone room at a high-end audio show, probably Munich. “Silbatone?” I asked. “Who are they?” My friend readied his stance as […]
The Phasemation room was truly one of my favorites at High End 2023 in Munich this year, largely because it had such a classic Japanese sound that was truly unique in a crowded field. Phasemation […]
If you’re still using the term “Chi-fi” as a pejorative, you should spend some seat time with this system from ESD Acoustic. This was one of the largest systems I’ve ever seen at a high-end […]
Two new offerings from Aurender were shown at Munich last week. The first is the AP20. You can file this offering under “one-box wonder” — a combined server/streamer, DAC, and amplifier. Just need cables and […]
Hyperbole alert: Munich Day 2 was one of those momentous days in the life of an audiophile, a day where I heard something that changes everything. But before we get to that point, a year […]
This is my third High End Munich show, but this is the first time I actually attended on the first day–Thursday. Not Friday, but Thursday. It’s my fault–I’m used to Friday/Saturday/Sunday high-end audio shows. But […]
Today, Chord Electronics is announcing a new integrated amplifier, the Ultima, priced at £8,500. Ultimate is the first new Chord Electronics integrated amplifier in the past seven years and is the only full-width model in […]
We here at PTA have been fans of Bakoon and Enleum for as long as designer and CEO Soo In Chae has been making these amazing little boxes. Yesterday’s announcement of the new flagship amp […]
It’s that time of year again, time for Schweinshaxe and Weißwurst and currywurst and unfiltered brown ales. It’s time for High End 2023 in Munich, the world’s largest high-end audio show! I’ll be at High End […]
Does size matter? I think so, for the 9,115 audiophiles that descended upon the Renaissance Schaumberg Center in Chicago, April 14-16, 2023. The final press release from AXPONA states that there were 9,115 visitors over […]
Man oh man, I knew it was going to be tough to pick out the Top Rooms at AXPONA 2023. It reminds me of one of those cooking competition shows on the Food Network where […]
This was a puzzling room. Puzzling to me, at least. To be honest, though, I am easily distracted by big sounds and shiny objects, so perhaps it was just me. I’m pretty sure what was […]
Damon Gramont of Bricasti Design, the company known for the “gold standard” in pro-audio reverb, is (still) kicking ass in hi-fi. Words and Photos by Scot Hull I can no longer recall how/when I was […]
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