Newport Beach 2015
Newport 2015: Boulder
By Rafe Arnott Boulder has always been a manufacturer I’ve been interested in. Sadly, my wallet has zero interest in them because they are just too far out of reach, hence my ears were piqued to […]
focal
High End 2015
High End 2015: Focal Sopra
Focal was pushing teasers weeks before the show, letting just a few hints “escape” about a new line of speakers that will officially hit stores early this summer. During the first day of the High […]
RMAF 2014
RMAF 2014: Devialet’s small-package strategy
By John Stancavage Sometimes I wonder if much of the appeal of the high-end is building an altar of gleaming equipment at which we can send prayers for better sound to our audio gods. There’s […]
RMAF 2014
RMAF 2014: Optical Cartridge Lights Up Musical Surroundings
by John Stancavage There was a red glow coming from the end of the tonearm playing a live Curtis Mayfield recording in the Musical Surroundings room. The place was dark, but the light being given […]
RMAF 2014
RMAF 2014 Roundup, Part 2: Big Rooms with Big Speakers
by Darryl Lindberg VAC, Apex Audio: Focal Grande Uptopia EM The two large rooms featuring the Focal Grande Utopia EMs—VAC and Axis—produced fine sounds, as you’d expect, given prices asked for this stuff. The Grandes […]
RMAF 2014
RMAF 2014: Audio Pathways, two turntables and a chair
Audio Pathways, from Richmond Hill in Ontario, presented what seemed to be a charmingly minimalist system. Two turntables and a chair? What less could you ask for. Another glance showed Focal Diablo Utopias ($12k) being […]
RMAF 2014
RMAF 2014: VAC versus the Real Thing
By John Stancavage Valve Amplification Company was spinning one great LP after another at RMAF 2014, when suddenly an attractive blond woman on the first row jumped out of her seat. “Where did you get […]
Athens Headphone Festival 2014
Athens Headphone Festival, Part 1
The first Greek headphone fest has closed its doors only a few hours ago and the dust has not yet settled. Some 500+ visitors had the chance to see, touch and listen more than 40 […]
New York 2014
New York 2014: Focal and VAC go B-I-G
I like to joke about big speakers being some kind of compensation thing, but the truth is, they have a distinctive sonic presence that’s just impossible to fake. They sound, not to put too fine […]
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 […]
AXPONA 2014
AXPONA 2014: Focal has Spirit
Honestly, Focal is one of those brands that doesn’t really need the coverage by those of us in the un-mainline “press”. But I’ve been exploring the world of consumer headphones lately, here they were at […]
Headphones
Audio360.org Digs the Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies
A syndicated article from Audio360.org by amos barnett, warren chi, michael liang, kevin venable & ethan wolf Remember your first kiss, a new puppy wagging its tail at you, the opening notes of your favorite song, […]
Headphones
Sub-$500 Closed-Back Headphones: AKG K551, V-MODA M100, Spider Audio Moonlight, Mr. Speakers Mad Dogs, Alpha Design Labs H118, Focal Spirit Pro
by John Grandberg “Why headphones?” It’s a question I hear often. I’d like to start by pointing out that headphone listening is in no way exclusive – I know many headphone enthusiasts who also have […]
Athens 2013
Athens 2013: Focal, Naim
By Dr. Panagiotis Karavitis Focal had a massive presence in the Athens AV show this year, with a couple of dedicated rooms to the company’s products. I say “company’s” and not “companies” because, for those […]
RMAF 2012
RMAF12: Aesthetics and Aesthetix Audio
Aesthetix has always intrigued and perplexed me, in pretty much equal measure. By many reports, Jim White & Co. make some of the most sophisticated tube gear on the planet, and the heroic lengths they’ve […]
