Munich 2023
Munich Day 2 | Munich 2023
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 […]
mbl
Loudspeakers
Von Schweikert Ultra 55 Loudspeakers | REVIEW
I consider part of my job in reviewing an audio component as a search for the truth–while knowing full well there is no absolute objective truth. There is only my subjective truth, in my listening […]
Florida 2022
Dave’s Florida Wrap-Up | FLAX 2022
Florida Audio Expo 2022 Instead of writing-up these Florida Audio Expo rooms individually (something Eric Franklin Shook is known for) I’ve decided to write round-up specifically about the rooms I liked in the larger, 2nd […]
Occasional Podcast
A Deep Dive In The High End: Sitting Down With MBL
It’s hard to deny that MBL’s Radialstrahler speakers aren’t a unique specimen in the land of speaker town. The 360 dispersion field creates a decidedly different feel than most of the box-n-driver setups, especially those […]
CAF 2019
Martin Logan and Benchmark | CAF 2019
It was with some apprehension that I entered the Martin Logan and Benchmark room at the 2019 Capital Audiofest. I took one look at the room set-up and said to myself,. “Uh oh…multi-channel system.” I’m […]
THE Show 2019
mbl Loudspeakers and Memory Lane | T.H.E. Show 2019
Walking into the mbl loudspeakers room at T.H.E. Show 2019 did bring back a lot of memories, back to the days when I first started exhibiting at high-end audio shows with Colleen Cardas for our […]
THE Show 2019
Saturday’s Highlights | T.H.E. Show 2019
Saturday at T.H.E. Show 2019 in Long Beach was a little more of a blur than Friday–more attendees, more energy and more rooms. Much of my day was dominated by two local Southern California dealers, […]
THE Show 2019
Must See Rooms, Day One | T.H.E. SHOW 2019
LOS ANGELES (PTA) — This year’s T.H.E. SHOW 2019 is bigger, better, and already on track to be the most newsworthy yet. There are over 1,000,000 brands exhibiting here in Long Beach — okay, okay […]
Florida 2019
Florida 2019: MBL, United Home Audio, WireWorld
I think my listening notes speak to the quality of the MBL room in Tampa: “Speakers disappearing like Houdini.” “Vocals are realistic with a good amount of chestiness.” “Great illusion of real performers in a […]
Florida 2019
Florida 2019: A Critical Eye II
by Paul Elliott I thought the show really very good. Run very professionally, far better than a “first effort”. I can only hope they can muster the energy to do it again next year. All […]
RMAF 2018
RMAF 2018: A Critical Eye
Photography by Paul Elliott I have completely bought into the music reproduction industry ever since I heard the difference between lamp cord as speaker wire and Monster brand wire oh so many years ago. Yes, […]
AXPONA 2018
AXPONA 2018: MBL, the definition of “Made in Germany”
I dropped in to check on what MBL is showing these days, and as always, they continue to dazzle me. Still on their worldwide tour, showcasing their newest MBL Noble Line of electronics, each hand […]
AXPONA 2018
AXPONA 2018: The MUST SEE Rooms of Day Three
Welcome to Chicago There are over 160 rooms and exhibits here at Axpona. Making this event the largest audio show in North America. For some this can be overwhelming and cause a bit of anxiety. […]
Munich 2017
High End 2017: Munich’s massive systems and what they can mean
I felt small. I’m six-foot-two-inches tall, but making your way around The High End Show at the colossal MOC in Munich can be a humbling experience in spatial ratios. While some system set ups were of […]
AXPONA 2017
AXPONA 2107: Kyomi, On a Higher Note go back to 1947 with Vivid, Jadis
Kyomi Audio and On a Higher Note combined the old and the new to produce alluring sound — and spooky time travel — in their demo room at AXPONA. First off, in the old category, […]
CES 2017
CES 2017: Day Four – Avantgarde Acoustic, MBL, Pro-Ject, and Canada’s Moon statement mono blocks
The lyrics from R. Kelly’s Fiesta were stuck in my head Sunday morning as I ran around CES because my friends lip-synched (with much body gyration, and soulful facial expressions) at maximum SPLs in front […]
AXPONA 2016
AXPONA 2016: Jolida reinvents the flux capacitor
Visitors to the Jolida room could be excused for wondering for a minute if they’d arrived in a DeLorean time machine with Doc Brown and actually were at AXPONA 1974. But no, my iPhone still […]
AXPONA 2016
AXPONA 2016: MBL redefines extreme
Even within the high-end, there is extreme and then there is really extreme. I’m talking about the seriously out-there, beyond-Pluto type of gear that makes the Robb Report look like a Walmart flyer. This can […]
Newport Beach 2015
Newport 2015: United Home Audio and MBL
by Rafe Arnott Let me be the first to say that my “value system”, when it comes to hi-fi, is already considered one that is seriously flawed to many of my friends and family. I […]
Athens 2014
Athens 2014: The eyeball magnet, aka, MBL
If you like visiting audio shows (and since you are reading this chances are you like it as much as I do) then you must have noticed that on every show the German high-end company […]