Munich 2023
Kondo | Munich 2023
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 […]
kondo
Analog
Ana Mighty Sound, Great Cartridge Maker and Rebuilder | REVIEW
Before I even bring up Ana Mighty Sound (website), let me state that I abhor rebuilt cartridges. They are to me, unholy, defiled, inferior, and more often than not, a far cry from the real […]
Analog
Palmer 2.5i Turntable and Audio Origami PU7 Tonearm | REVIEW
This review of the Palmer 2.5i turntable and the Audio Origami PU7 tonearm has been decades in the making. If you’ve been following the Vinyl Anachronist columns on Perfect Sound Forever over the last 22 […]
Munich 2019
Kondo Audio Note and Kawero! | High End 2019
Because of the somewhat contentious and complex history between Audio Note UK and Kondo Audio Note of Japan, we Americans don’t see a lot of the Kondo equipment in the US. At High End 2019, […]
Munich 2019
Here I Go! | High End 2019
I’m heading out today to High End Munich 2019, the biggest hi-fi show on earth. I’m an old veteran of what used to be the biggest hi-fi show on earth, the Consumer Electronics Show in […]
Analog
ZYX UNIverse Optimum 1Ω MC Cartridge | REVIEW
Astonishment, personified US $16,995.00. There, I’ve said it, in bold. That’s nearly seventeen thousand dollars for a phono cartridge. I still remember the first turntable I bought back in 1981, it was a Luxman PD-284 […]
Analog
Review: Kondo Overture II integrated amplifier and GE-1 Phono Amplifier
This is an article that first appeared in our new online PDF, downloadable magazine The Occasional this February in our Winter 2018 edition. We’ll be rolling out articles from it over the next several weeks in anticipation […]
Munich 2017
High End 2017: The tea ceremony of recorded playback with Kondo of Japan
High End at Munich in the MOC is an A-List affair with thousands of people swarming everywhere constantly, and millions of dollars in ne plus ultra gear oozing cabling as thick as my thigh out of […]
Munich 2016
High End 2016: A reason to do shows, counts as wrap up
If you are kind enough as to read through the end, you will also know my favorite rooms of this year’s Munich’s High End show. But first, let me tell you why we do show […]
Munich 2016
High End 2016: Holy sweet mother, it’s the Living Voice Vox Palladian
What stunning fun. As always, Kevin and Lynn Scott of Living Voice went way beyond the typical to offer an experience of unexpectedly wild luxury. Just startling. Have you seen the big Living Voice loudspeakers? They’re incredible. And not just […]
Munich 2016
High End 2016: Kondo and Kaiser, sublime elegance in sound
If you are anywhere close to the sound of tubes this was among the best rooms of the show. Legendary Japanese manufacturer of tube amplifiers Kondo paired with a pair of Kaiser Kawero speakers for […]
High End 2015
High End 2015: Living Voice and Kondo
At High End this year, I got to meet one of my heroes, Kevin Scott of Living Voice. I skipped the show-opening press conference (which I was pretty sure would be in German), to beat […]
Athens 2014
Athens 2014: Kondo and Leben with Blumenhofer Acoustics
Japan has a tradition in tube electronics, probably second to none. In just one room, I found the best of the old school in thermionic valve designs coming from the Far East mixed with the best […]
CES 2013
CES 2013: Kondo
Kondo/Audio Note assembled a rather elegant room at CES this year, showing off their $75k/pair Biyura loudspeakers, which feature an all-new enclosure. The Biyura are a field-coil magnet design with a horn-tweeter with a “pure […]