Munich 2022
Fink Team and the Return of the Epos ES-14 | High End 2022
Every once in a while I hear about a new high-end audio product, or even see a photo of it, and I instantly want to know more. (That’s how I wound up owning a pair […]
spendor
Loudspeakers
Harbeth C7ES-3 XD Loudspeakers | REVIEW
Co-hosting all these Brit-fi podcasts with Brian Hunter on The Occasional Podcast has certainly whetted my appetite for BBC monitors. Lately we’ve been fixating primarily on the LS3/5a, but I can’t tell you how excited […]
Components
Naim SuperNAIT 3 Integrated Amplifier | REVIEW
The Naim SuperNAIT 3 integrated amplifier, above all, is about trying to reconnect with my past—at least a little bit. Back in December I traveled down to Los Angeles for the first time in at […]
Loudspeakers
Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a MoFi Edition Loudspeakers | REVIEW
Of all the audio gear I came close to buying over the last forty years, I probably got closer to a pair of LS3/5as than anything else. I’m reminded of that constantly in the presence […]
Loudspeakers
Volti Audio Razz Loudspeakers, Part One | REVIEW
A funny thing happened on the way to finding the perfect 2-way bookshelf monitor. When I first had the opportunity to review the new Volti Audio Razz (announcement, website), I imagined this 3-way floorstanding horn […]
Loudspeakers
Stenheim Alumine 2 Loudspeakers | REVIEW
Whenever I see a pair of two-way monitors with a high price tag such as the Stenheim Alumine 2 loudspeakers from Switzerland, I’m immediately intrigued and I immediately want to sit down and listen to […]
Florida 2020
A La Carte Productions, Spendor, Chord, SME, VPI, Vienna Acoustics, Aesthetix | FLAX 2020
Spendor is BACK! Yeah, I know I already used that line with the Bob Carver room, but in this case it’s a little more personal. I started my high-end audio journey with Spendor, first with […]
THE Show 2019
A Reunion with Gene Rubin | T.H.E. Show 2019
If you’ve been reading my stuff for a while, especially the original Vinyl Anachronist column for Perfect Sound Forever, you probably know of my fondness for Gene Rubin of Gene Rubin Audio in Ventura, California. […]
Munich 2019
Graham Audio and the Lure of the British Monitor | High End 2019
Sometimes I feel like I can spot a classic BBC monitor from a mile away, or in this case from across the main halls of the MOC at High End 2019. “Is that the Graham […]
Munich 2019
Garrard, SME and the Resurrection of a Dream | High End 2019
Panagiotis Karavitas and I both opted to cover the Garrard and SME exhibit at High End 2019, and we were both granted the opportunity to report on what was arguably the biggest news at the […]
Munich 2019
Friday Highlights | High End 2019
Friday was my first full day at High End Munich 2019. Thursday, the first day of the show, was sabotaged by a combination of a long-ass sleepless night on the plane followed by a late […]
AXPONA 2019
MoFi, Wharfedale and Quad | AXPONA 2019
It’s been a while since I’ve gotten excited over a so-called “budget” component, which is why the MoFi, Wharfedale and Quad room at AXPONA 2019 was such a unexpected surprise. I visited Jonathan Derda and […]
CAF 2016
Capital Audiofest 2016: DSA amplifies their approach
DSA stands for Dynamic Sounds Associates, but they might as well call themselves Dat is Super Awesome. Hmm. Okay. Welp, that’s probably why I never got anywhere as a marketing professional. Oh well. Never mind. At […]
Vancouver 2015
Vancouver 2015: Pat’s Audio Art with Spendor, Jadis, Rega
by Rafe Arnott Spendor is a speaker brand that has been hand-built by UK craftsmen in Hailsham, Sussex since the ’60s. I imagine them as salt-of-the-Earth types that don’t fanny about and who curse often […]
Loudspeakers
Review: Tekton SEAS Pendragon
by John Richardson Oh my, these seem like big speakers, or more like two giant monoliths bearing down on me as it sit in my listening chair. Good lord, I think these things are about […]
Newport Beach 2014
Newport 2014: Brooks Berdan making things simple with Auralic, Spendor
Like most show goers, I have a problem keeping rooms straight. It’s either “that big Magico room” or that “little Channel Islands room.” It’s never, until I look at my never-complete-enough notes, that I remember […]
CAS 2013
CAS 2013: A Children’s Treasury of Missed Opportunities, or, The End
Too many exhibitors saw too little of us. Worse yet, we heard too little of them to write anything fair. We could say they were lovely. We could complain that they sounded terrible. The exhibitors, […]