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- Written by: Doug Schneider
- Category: Features
My first two articles about electronics at the Tokyo International Audio Show (TIAS) highlighted three well-known Japanese brands: Luxman, Esoteric, and Accuphase. This article focuses on several companies from outside of Japan. All prices in Japanese yen (¥).
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- Written by: Doug Schneider
- Category: Features
The first installment on electronics at the 2016 Tokyo International Audio Show (TIAS) focused on two Japanese brands: Luxman and Esoteric. This part focuses on just one, Accuphase, because it had so many new and interesting products to show. All prices in Japanese yen (¥).
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- Written by: Doug Schneider
- Category: Features
I love the Tokyo International Audio Show (TIAS) for three reasons: (1) Tokyo, as a city, is a wonderful place to visit; (2) the event is extremely well run; and (3) you can often find products from great Japanese brands that aren’t always easy to find elsewhere. Case in point: the newest electronic components from Esoteric and Luxman, which made their debuts at TIAS. For Luxman, the three shown below were the company’s only new releases at TIAS 2016. Esoteric had many more introductions, but I focused on the three new Grandioso-series products, which represent the company’s top offerings. All prices in Japanese yen (¥).
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
- Category: Features
I’ll conclude my coverage of the 2016 CEDIA Expo with a roundup of the rest of the interesting speakers I saw. All prices in USD.
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
- Category: Features
It’s safe to say everyone attending the 2016 CEDIA Expo -- a trade show that focuses on custom-installed A/V and home automation -- knows that traditional wired audio systems and home-theater systems are playing a shrinking role in most people’s lives. So it’s no surprise that the Expo saw the introduction of several new wireless music systems and soundbars -- products designed primarily for convenience, but that can deliver impressive sound quality if they’re designed for performance rather than the lowest possible price.
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
- Category: Features
Most of the action in audio electronics at the CEDIA Expo involved new A/V receivers, surround processors, and multiroom audio systems. There were a few interesting stereo products launched at the Expo, though. Some incorporated a few nods toward custom installation, such as networking capability and easy interfacing with multiroom gear, but all will work fine if your system has just two speakers and you play only music. Here are the new two-channel audio products I found at the CEDIA Expo, all priced in USD.
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
- Category: Features
So much of the focus at the annual CEDIA Expo is on home-theater sound. Naturally, there are always interesting new subwoofers on display, from state-of-the-art slab shakers to stealthy models designed to be tucked into a corner or built into a wall. Here are some of the most interesting new subwoofers I saw (and in some cases, heard) at the CEDIA Expo. All prices in USD.
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
- Category: Features
There aren’t many mainstream audio products featured at CEDIA, but there are innumerable boutique audio products designed for custom installation -- including, of course, lots and lots of new speakers. On the first day of the show, I saw new high-end tower speakers, and new in-wall and in-ceiling speakers. There were way too many to pack into one blog post; I’m planning at least one more CEDIA 2016 post devoted to speakers, one focusing on subwoofers, plus another devoted to wireless speakers and soundbars.
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
- Category: Features
The Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association Expo, better known as the CEDIA show, kicked off on September 14 in Dallas with a handful of press events and a special press-only preview event. Most of the audio products at CEDIA are targeted at built-in, multiroom audio systems or custom home theaters, but because almost all the major audio manufacturers attend, you never really know what you’re going to encounter. Despite today’s abbreviated schedule, I found a few products that shocked and surprised me -- and that anyone involved in audio would have to be pretty curious about.
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
- Category: Features
When SoundStage! published my report about the MQA demo at Munich’s High End 2016 a few weeks ago, we ruffled some feathers -- not only of the people behind MQA, but of some audio writers who were already on the record with effusive praise of MQA. Fortunately for me, the MQA folks knew I would be attending last weekend’s T.H.E. Show Newport Irvine, California, and were willing to give me a more useful demo.
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
- Category: Features
While strolling the halls of the Hotel Irvine, site of last weekend’s T.H.E. Show Newport 2016 in Irvine, California, I encountered numerous interesting products that didn’t fit into categories large enough to populate an entire column. So I thought I’d wrap up my new products coverage with a column full of somewhat random stuff: headphone amps, acoustic treatments, and more. They’re arranged here in alphabetical order by brand, with all prices listed in USD.
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
- Category: Features
It’s always fun at audio shows to watch how the choice of source devices evolves. At T.H.E. Show Newport 2016, the source devices of choice were computers, record players, and half-inch analog tape. I’m sure there was a CD player somewhere, but I didn’t notice it. Here are the most interesting developments in source devices I found at the show, with the products arranged in alphabetical order by brand and all prices in USD.
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
- Category: Features
With increasing focus on digital technology, headphones, and compact systems, traditional amps and preamps don’t seem as prominent at hi-fi shows as they once were. Still, as I walked the halls and show floor of T.H.E. Show Newport 2016, held at the Hotel Irvine in Irvine, California, I did find a few new amps and preamps that caught my eyes and ears. Actually, they’re new in one sense and old in another, because four of the six components are tube-based. Products below are presented in alphabetical order by brand, with all prices in USD.
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
- Category: Features
T.H.E. Show Newport 2016, held at the Hotel Irvine in Irvine, California, featured a few new speakers plus several being demoed for the first time in North America. The offerings ranged from ultra-retro to ultra-modern, at prices from a few hundred dollars to more than a hundred thousand dollars. Here are the ones I thought were most interesting. Speakers are presented in alphabetical order by brand, with all prices in USD.
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
- Category: Features
Since it moved to the much nicer venue of the Hotel Irvine last year, T.H.E. Show Newport has become one of North America’s more important regional hi-fi shows. The show’s website says that the show will feature more than 400 manufacturers. I walked some of the show yesterday during the press preview. Many of the manufacturers were still setting up in preparation for weekend crowds, but that didn’t stop me from noticing the first trend of the show. To my surprise, the most interesting thing I saw during the first day was the introduction of several shockingly affordable new headphones. It’s especially surprising after I spent so much of the first day listening to speakers costing more than $10,000 USD per pair.
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- Written by: Doug Schneider
- Category: Photos
Photos taken by Doug Schneider on May 5-8
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- Written by: Administrator
- Category: Photos
Companies featured in gallery below: Gryphon Audio Designs, T+A, Octave Audio, EAT, Chord, Hegel Music Systems, Goldmund, Weiss, Pro-Ject Audio Systems, Astell&Kern, Ceradyn, Grado, Lehmann Audio, Pathos, Phatlab
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- Written by: Administrator
- Category: Photos
Companies featured in gallery below: Brinkmann Audio, Ypilson, EMM Labs, Grimm Audio, Amphion, Audio Research, Sonus Faber, BMC, Dynaudio, Ayre Acoustics, WestminsterLab, Audio Solutions, Dynaco
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
- Category: Features
SoundStage! hasn’t done much coverage of equipment racks, but there were so many appealing models on display at Munich’s High End 2016 that we decided a photo essay was in order. These racks are not mere furniture. They’re all constructed specifically for audio, with various techniques used to channel and/or damp vibration that might affect audio electronics and source devices. All of these companies offer racks in many shapes, sizes, and finishes, so if you like one of these designs but need a different configuration, check out the company’s website to see what your options are.
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
- Category: Features
The Munich show has High End in its title, so it should come as no surprise that much of the focus at the event is on audio products costing five or six figures. But I did uncover a few pieces of nice new gear priced within the financial comfort zone of most average audiophiles. Here are the standouts, all priced well under €5000.
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