phono

Munich 2017: Nagra, Kronos, and Wilson make listeners see red

June 12, 2017

We’ve all heard the phrase, pictured it in our minds, or seen a commercial based on it. Like waving a red flag at a bull. That’s what the Nagra room in the 4.2 Atrium level of High End at Munich felt like when I walked into it. The [...]

LA Audio Show 2017: Gene Rubin Audio impresses with LFD, Harbeth, Acoustic Signature, Aurender, CanEver.

June 10, 2017

I don’t know about you, but I really appreciate hand built high-fidelity components. And when it comes to integrated amplifiers, few are more bespoke than what British amplifier manufacturer LFD are offering. While many of the most coveted [...]

Review: Dynamic Sounds Associates Phono II

February 18, 2017

Being an audiophile is difficult. Being an audiophile into vinyl is more difficult. Being an audiophile who is so into vinyl that you have more than one turntable is bordering on a personality disorder. Having a turntable is often looked upon as a [...]

CES 2017: Sun setting on Vegas for high fidelity?

February 6, 2017

This CES was my first. Thing is, it just might be my last. Consensus among fellow journalists, hi-fi manufacturers, distributors, and bricks & mortar owners is that it’s no longer a good fit for home audio, and attendance by companies [...]

CES 2017: The Air Tight dojo in Las Vegas

January 28, 2017

Rarefied air. That kind of sums up the Japanese house of Air Tight for me. The Osaka-based bespoke electronics manufacturer celebrated its 30th anniversary last April, which is no small feat for an esoteric tube amplification-based company. [...]

Review: iFi Audio Micro iPhono and iDSD

May 9, 2015

During last summer I was given the opportunity to bring the iFi nano DSD on vacation with me. Despite the moderate size this little DAC-headphone amplifier managed not only to put a smile in my face but to literally make me cerebrate for weeks on [...]

Red Wine Audio Part II, Isabella Renaissance Edition Preamplifier

February 8, 2014

Have I mentioned that I’m a huge fan of red wine? I mean, generally speaking and all that. Yeah, well, it’s true. It’s something of a long-time passion of mine and let’s just say that if I could find a way to relo out to [...]

A God of War, Gone Rogue: The Ares Phono Preamplifier Review

December 6, 2013

“He was a fiddler, and consequently a rogue.” — Jonathan Swift Mark O’Brien is a tall, striking and rather unassuming figure at most audio shows. He seems almost bemused by all the fuss and bother audiophiles make over his gear, but [...]

Review: NVO SPA one Phono Preamplifier

July 23, 2013

Tubes in phono amplification and RIAA de-emphasis The final goal in phono stage design stands in two pillars. First is to invert the RIAA curve in order to get a flat response out of the recording and the second is to amplify the vanishingly low [...]

Reproductive Private Parts (of a phono cartridge)

March 24, 2013

At AXPONA this year, the resident wizard over at SoundSmith, Peter Ledermann, gave an entertainingly comprehensive talk on phono cartridges. Interestingly for such things, it assumed next to no prior knowledge — which means that even an idiot [...]