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MartinLogan Motion Foundation B1 x Wiim Amp Bundle

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Details: Written by: Super User; Category: Photos; Created: 15 May 2015

Companies featured in gallery below: Nordost, KEF, Moon by Simaudio, Paradigm, Tidal Audio, PMC, Focal, Naim Audio, Arcam, Crystal Cable, ProAc, Alluxity, Vermeer

Details: Written by: Hans Wetzel; Category: Features; Created: 15 May 2015

We always expect to encounter statement-level products here in Munich, especially loudspeakers. What's interesting is to see the cost of one company's efforts versus another's; some of the behemoths that we see can run well, well past the six-figure mark. The three speakers below greatly impressed for less than that figure despite wildly different approaches to their respective architectures, materials, and underlying philosophies.

Details: Written by: Hans Wetzel; Category: Features; Created: 15 May 2015

I commented to Jeff Fritz while covering the show today that many European hi-fi companies just get it. They understand that every product must have a certain style or class to be taken seriously, and that performance alone won't get you very far. Every detail matters for something that owners will have to potentially look at for years and integrate into a living or work space. As important to a product's look -- especially a loudspeaker's -- are its tactile qualities.

Details: Written by: Hans Wetzel; Category: Features; Created: 14 May 2015

Munich's High End show is the sandbox in the playground of some extraordinarily expensive audio gear, with €50,000+ electronics pretty common fare. Correlating price with performance is a dangerous game. It's therefore refreshing to see reasonably priced integrated solutions from companies with sterling reputations.

Details: Written by: Super User; Category: Photos; Created: 14 May 2015

Companies featured in gallery below: T+A, Burmester, Amphion, B.M.C., Hegel Music Systems, Octave Audio, Sonus Faber, Cabasse, Magico, Soulution, Rosso Fiorentino, Lansche Audio, Gryphon Audio Designs, Jeff Rowland Design Group

Details: Written by: Hans Wetzel; Category: Features; Created: 14 May 2015

France's Devialet has been on quite the tear recently. From the expansion of its Expert amplifier range to the introduction of technologies such as SAM (Speaker Active Matching), and, most recently, the appearance of their exciting Phantom all-in-one loudspeaker, the rapidity of its innovation is matched seemingly only by its ambition to one day have its products be ubiquitous. At this year's High End show, the firm introduced version 8.0 of its firmware and demonstrated its impressive Phantom models. I was fortunate enough to have an hour to chat with co-founder Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel about anything I wanted, and the wide-ranging conversation was illuminating to say the least.

Details: Written by: Jason Thorpe; Category: Features; Created: 29 March 2015

It bothers me every year -- the politeness and the banality of the music at these shows. We all like solo cello and Diana Krall -- don't we? We all understand that exhibitors want to draw in as many people as possible by avoiding abrasive music that'll drive away showgoers. Fair enough. But still, when I walk by a room and hear Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd playing at higher-than-usual levels, I invariably stop in my tracks and march right in. So do lots of other folks, by my observations.

Details: Written by: Super User; Category: Photos; Created: 29 March 2015

Companies featured in gallery below: Triode Lab, PS Audio, Tri-Art Audio, Dared, Bryston, Deep Space Audio, IsoAcoustics, Soltanus Acoustics, Skogrand Cables, Marantz, Sony

Details: Written by: Jason Thorpe; Category: Features; Created: 28 March 2015

I don't often sit in one room for any extended period of time unless a speaker specifically grabs hold of me and doesn't let go. When that happens, it's usually the result of either a massive overload of tubes, or some kind of exotic electrostat. I'm rarely captivated by a small speaker powered by solid-state electronics.

Details: Written by: Jason Thorpe; Category: Features; Created: 28 March 2015

I felt most antisocial. Disconnected. Cut off.

Details: Written by: Doug Schneider; Category: Photos; Created: 28 March 2015

Photos taken by Doug Schneider on March 27 and 28

Details: Written by: Jason Thorpe; Category: Features; Created: 27 March 2015

It was a slow, steady descent. I've always loved tubes, but man, oh man, you've got to have deep pockets if you want nice tube stuff, which is why I still campaign my 20-year-old Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 preamp. In order to replace it with something current that performs on the same level, I'd have to sink in five figures. New motorcycle or new tube preamp? Which do you think I'd choose?

Details: Written by: News Editor; Category: Photos; Created: 09 January 2015

The 2014 Product of the Year award winners were chosen from among those products reviewed in SoundStage! Hi-Fi, SoundStage! Ultra, SoundStage! Xperience, and SoundStage! Access. Doug Schneider and Jeff Fritz wrote feature articles about the winners on January 1 in SoundStage! Hi-Fi and SoundStage! Ultra.

Details: Written by: News Editor; Category: Photos; Created: 09 January 2015

Photos taken by Doug Schneider on January 6-9 (except final two, by Roger Kanno)

Details: Written by: News Editor; Category: Photos; Created: 09 January 2015

Companies featured in gallery below: Thiel Audio, Aurender, T+A, Dynaudio, Bel Canto Design, Furutech, Aavik, Wharfedale, NuPrime

Details: Written by: News Editor; Category: Photos; Created: 09 January 2015

Companies featured in gallery below: Revel, Theta Digital, McIntosh, D'Agostino Master Audio Systems, Chord, Nordost, Simaudio, Parasound, SVS, Diasoul, Paradigm

Details: Written by: Roger Kanno; Category: Features; Created: 09 January 2015

Integrated amplifiers make a lot of sense. Combining the preamplifier and power amplifier sections in the same chassis can allow significant cost savings over separate pre- and power amplifier combinations. While many high-end manufacturers and audiophiles prefer separates, I usually prefer the simplicity and savings afforded by many integrated amplifiers. Additionally, many manufacturers are now including digital inputs on integrated amplifiers, including USB inputs that allow a computer to be used as a source to provide a simple and cost-effective system. Here are a few integrated amps that really caught my attention at this year's CES.

Details: Written by: Brent Butterworth; Category: Features; Created: 09 January 2015

Anyone who says we're in the middle of a headphone explosion must think it's 2012. What we're in right now is a headphone amp explosion. Everyone from esteemed high-end brands to largely unknown companies is jumping into the market, trying to persuade serious enthusiasts to upgrade and casual listeners to step beyond the sound quality of their smartphones and laptops.

Details: Written by: Brent Butterworth; Category: Features; Created: 09 January 2015

Even though CES 2015 didn't see the introduction of a whole lot of interesting mainstream headphones, there was a lot of action in high-end, audiophile-oriented headphones, with several revered brands launching new models and a few interesting new players getting into the market.

Details: Written by: News Editor; Category: Photos; Created: 08 January 2015

Companies featured in gallery below: Crystal Cable, Focus Audio, Mark Levinson, JL Audio, Velodyne, Rockport Technologies, Magico, Devialet, Lumin, EMM Labs, Rogue Audio, Arcam