HALLOFFAME Archives

Review: JansZen Valentina Active

August 26, 2016 Editorial Staff 8

by John Grandberg I’m a headphone guy at heart. I believe all my readers pretty much know that by now. As such, I spend far more time listening to headphones than speakers. Ok, maybe that’s […]

Review: Cardas A8 Inner Ear Monitors

May 1, 2016 Lee Scoggins 1

My Blue Heaven Right now I’m typing this on a Delta flight to Madison, Wisconsin in early February. Yep, Wisconsin in early February! Yet there’s a big smile on my face, at least while I […]

Review: Backert Labs Rhythm 1.1

March 19, 2016 Scot Hull 5

“Freakin’ awesome!” I’m tempted to leave it there, but I’m not sure that it really would mean all that much. But, on the off-chance you’re one of those bumper-sticker review enthusiasts, there you go. The […]

Vintage Glory: Quad ESL-63 and Electrostatic Solutions

February 29, 2016 Scot Hull Comments Off

I am the first to admit that I have not been steadfast and unwavering in my love. No. Instead, I have been anything but. I am unfaithful. In fact, it’s probably fair to level this […]

Review: SOtM S-MS1000SQ Music Server

February 27, 2016 Editorial Staff 7

by John Grandberg The Background Apparently this is becoming something of a trend. Me. Music servers. Voluminous words and pictures thrust at the reader in a vain attempt to convey an experience — one which […]

Follow Up: Exogal Comet DAC

February 14, 2016 John Richardson 4

2/8/2016 This is an update and follow-up to John Richardson’s review of the Exogal Comet DAC. Let me just say that I love this DAC. What struck me, in direct comparison to AURALiC Vega DAC […]

Review: DeVore Fidelity O/96 loudspeakers

February 13, 2016 Rafe Arnott 6

Introduction and background There’s a mid-2000’s British television series I became addicted to watching called Life on Mars (not to be confused with the dreadful U.S. adaptation of the same name), and I loved it […]

Review: Viva Audio Egoista 2A3 Headphone Amplifier

February 6, 2016 Scot Hull Comments Off

Luke Skywalker: She’s rich. Han Solo: Rich? Luke Skywalker: Rich, powerful. Listen, if you were to rescue her, the reward would be… Han Solo: What? Luke Skywalker: Well, more wealth than you can imagine! Han […]

Review: B.M.C. Audio PureMedia, PureUSB1, UltraDAC

January 16, 2016 Editorial Staff 11

By John Grandberg Think back for a second: when was the last time you actually played music directly from a CD, DVD-A, or SACD? Some readers may still be actively spinning, but I have a […]

Review: ELAC Debut B6 and F5 Loudspeakers

December 19, 2015 John Richardson 9

It shouldn’t be weird. I think that is the main point that John and Steve were driving at, back in New York. Not that it couldn’t be done. Or even that it hadn’t ever been […]

Review: Luminous Audio Arion and ModWright PH150 Phono Preamplifiers

December 12, 2015 Scot Hull 2

By cheerfully weird happenstance, I received two world-class phono preamplifiers, pretty much right on top of each other. The first to arrive was the Arion phonostage ($6,395) from Tim Stinson of Luminous Audio. Tim Stinson was beside […]

Review: Audion Super Sterling 120 stereo amplifier

December 5, 2015 Mal Kenney 5

by Malachi Kenney True Confessions It must have been at least a decade ago when the Single-Ended bug bit me. The usual thing happened, of course. I’d heard a single-ended 50 playing through some AER […]

Review: Woo Audio WA5LE v2 vacuum tube headphone amplifier

September 27, 2015 Scot Hull 9

Woo Audio offers a remarkably deep bench for those headphonistas interested in vacuum tube amplifiers. But when it comes to the 300b, arguably the finest audio tube the world has ever known, Woo Audio has only a couple […]

Review: Bricasti Design M28 monoblock amplifiers

August 23, 2015 Scot Hull 21

Summary The Bricasti Design M28 Monoblock Amplifiers are the finest amplifiers I’ve heard in my system to-date. The clarity, musicality and overall performance was nothing short of breathtaking; paired with their matching M1 DAC, the Bricasti-based […]

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