vacuum tube

Far Corners finds Hot Treasures: Svecheniye 12AX7 Vacuum Tubes

August 21, 2016

By Modest I. Predlozheniye It is easy to get caught up in the latest trends in audio, especially when you travel the world as I do. I see a lot of new technology applied to the art of enjoying music. Some of it is misguided but some shows just a [...]

AXPONA2016: Mobile Fidelity gets closer to the master tape than ever before with UD1-S LP pressing

April 29, 2016

Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs just can’t stay still. They’re always looking into how they can improve an aspect of their products, or their users end experience, or curating some of the very best analog, and digital equipment on the planet [...]

Peter Qvortrup talks three-motor turntables: Audio Note UK 2016, factory photos & new speakers

January 13, 2016

I had the rare opportunity recently to catch up with Audio Note UK head honcho, globetrotter, music lover, and hi fi-industry legend Peter Qvortrup, who graciously agreed to be assailed with questions by me regarding what his company has up its [...]

Review: Woo Audio WA5LE v2 vacuum tube headphone amplifier

September 27, 2015

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 of options. Aside from [...]

Review: Woo Audio WA22 headphone amplifier

April 18, 2015

I’m willing to put up with a lot of ugly in my audio – the various Nextel-painted Tannoy DMTs that have graced my living room attest to this – but my personal hierarchy tends to go something like: Does it sound great? Win. Does it feel [...]

Review: Zesto Audio Bia 120

March 7, 2015

Adding Zest-o I first found the Bia 120 from Zesto Audio in, of all places, a Zesto Audio demo at an audio show. Crazy, right? Okay, maybe not, but that’s okay — that’s how I find most new bits, trolling the shows. Zesto has been [...]

Review: Cary DAC-100t Tube D/A Converter

September 6, 2014

By Brian Hunter The (Digital) Times They Are A Changin’ With the onslaught of technological change and market shift impacting traditional hi-fi, more established companies are dipping their big toes in the murky waters of unexplored territory. In [...]

CAF 2014: Did BorderPatrol just smuggle a headphone amplifier into town?

July 26, 2014

Capital Audiofest is currently underway, and I just snuck off for a quick update here. Yes, there’s going to be way more coming, but in the meantime, a teaser of a teaser. Brian Hunter and I snuck into Gary Dews’ BorderPatrol setup [...]

LampizatOr DSD DAC: First Listen (Updated & Revisited)

July 4, 2014

Last fall, I received a DSD-only DAC from LampizatOr. I thought it was the berries, but I had some challenges with the unit. Specifically, this demo/prototype unit had some issues with fuses (in the directly connected amp), popping when changing [...]

Newport 2014: Big Bad Woo Audio

June 5, 2014

Woo Audio, the New York-based company focusing on the high-end of the “personal audio” space, is renowned for creating something of an oasis at regional audio shows. It’s a bit of a cheat, really, since Woo Audio really [...]