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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: RMAF 2016 RMAF 2016
- Created: 13 October 2016 13 October 2016
RMAF 2016: Headphone Amplifiers
If you judge products purely by the amount of attention they attract at audio shows, headphone amps are as hot a product category as headphones themselves. Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2016 showcased numerous new headphone amps, ranging from tiny models that fit in a pocket to ones the size of classic McIntosh tube amps. Here are a few of the most interesting new headphone amps I saw at RMAF. All prices in USD.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: RMAF 2016 RMAF 2016
- Created: 10 October 2016 10 October 2016
RMAF 2016: Grab Bag
At every audio show, you’ll find all sorts of odds and ends that don’t fit into major product categories but are fascinating nonetheless. The 2016 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF) devoted an entire hotel ballroom and a large hallway to accessories, records, and CDs, and I also found a few other interesting little products hiding out in some of the demo rooms on the upper floors of the Denver Marriott Tech Center. Here are a few of my favorites, with all prices listed in USD.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: RMAF 2016 RMAF 2016
- Created: 10 October 2016 10 October 2016
RMAF 2016: Integrated Amplifiers
Although there were a few new power amps, preamps, and DACs introduced at the 2016 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF), the real action was in integrated amplifiers. This is a hot category because most of the new integrateds incorporate not only a preamp and a power amp, but also a DAC. Many add a phono stage and/or Internet or network streaming, making them true all-in-one entertainment systems -- just add speakers.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: RMAF 2016 RMAF 2016
- Created: 10 October 2016 10 October 2016
RMAF 2016: Speakers
Most new audio product introductions occur at the big electronics trade shows such as CEDIA, CES, IFA, and Munich’s High-End. But being the biggest consumer audio show in the US, the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF) sees more than its share of new product introductions and North American debuts -- including numerous new speakers. There were way too many models for one person (me) to cover, so I’ll just share some of my favorites here. All prices in USD.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: RMAF 2016 RMAF 2016
- Created: 08 October 2016 08 October 2016
RMAF 2016: Headphones, Part 1
The Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF) is the biggest consumer audio show in the US, and without question one of the best places in the world to hear all sorts of new audio gear, from $100 desktop amps to $100,000/pr.-plus tower speakers. It also incorporates CanJam, a show where most of the major audiophile-oriented headphone and headphone amp manufacturers display their latest creations.
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Parent Category: BloggingOnAudio BloggingOnAudio
- Created: 05 October 2016 05 October 2016
Pre-Tokyo Surprise -- Devialet's Gold Phantoms and Dialog Arrive
A few days before I boarded the first of two planes that would take me to Tokyo, Japan, to cover TIAS 2016, the UPS deliverywoman arrived at my door with two big brown boxes and one smaller one. The country of origin was marked clearly on all three: France. Only one company sends us products directly from there -- Devialet.
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Parent Category: TIAS 2016 TIAS 2016
- Created: 02 October 2016 02 October 2016
TIAS 2016: Tokyo/TIAS 2016 Walking Tour, Part 2
As I mentioned in the caption for the first gallery, attending TIAS is a fun, interesting, and educational experience. This second and final gallery documents where I went on the last day of TIAS 2016 (Sunday, October 2), which was held on the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors of the Tokyo International Forum. I started on the sixth floor and worked my way down, and I made sure to take at least one photo in every display room. Enjoy!
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Parent Category: TIAS 2016 TIAS 2016
- Created: 02 October 2016 02 October 2016
TIAS 2016: Tokyo/TIAS 2016 Walking Tour, Part 1
I’ve now been to Japan twice for TIAS. Both times I found it to be a fun, interesting, and educational experience. As a result, I thought it worthwhile to showcase some photos from the last day of TIAS (Sunday, October 2) to help demonstrate what the experience is about. The gallery below shows the trip from my hotel and breakfast to the Tokyo International Forum, where TIAS 2016 was held.
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Parent Category: TIAS 2016 TIAS 2016
- Created: 01 October 2016 01 October 2016
TIAS 2016: Speakers
There weren’t as many introductions of speakers as there were electronics, but there were still some very exciting and important new speakers showcased at TIAS 2016. I’ve highlighted them in this article. All prices in Japanese yen (¥).
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Parent Category: TIAS 2016 TIAS 2016
- Created: 01 October 2016 01 October 2016
TIAS 2016: Electronics, Part 3
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 Doug Schneider
- Parent Category: TIAS 2016 TIAS 2016
- Created: 30 September 2016 30 September 2016
TIAS 2016: Electronics, Part 2
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 Doug Schneider
- Parent Category: TIAS 2016 TIAS 2016
- Created: 30 September 2016 30 September 2016
TIAS 2016: Electronics, Part 1
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 Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: CEDIA Expo 2016 CEDIA Expo 2016
- Created: 19 September 2016 19 September 2016
CEDIA Expo 2016: Speakers, Part 2
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 Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: CEDIA Expo 2016 CEDIA Expo 2016
- Created: 18 September 2016 18 September 2016
CEDIA Expo 2016: Soundbars and Wireless Speakers
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 Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: CEDIA Expo 2016 CEDIA Expo 2016
- Created: 18 September 2016 18 September 2016
CEDIA Expo 2016: Audio Electronics
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 Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: CEDIA Expo 2016 CEDIA Expo 2016
- Created: 18 September 2016 18 September 2016
CEDIA Expo 2016: Subwoofers
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 Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: CEDIA Expo 2016 CEDIA Expo 2016
- Created: 16 September 2016 16 September 2016
CEDIA Expo 2016: Speakers, Part 1
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 Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: CEDIA Expo 2016 CEDIA Expo 2016
- Created: 15 September 2016 15 September 2016
CEDIA Expo 2016: Press-Day Preview
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 Howard Kneller Howard Kneller
- Parent Category: BloggingOnAudio BloggingOnAudio
- Created: 12 September 2016 12 September 2016
YG Acoustics' New Two-Tower Masterpiece: The Sonja XV
When YG Acoustics unveils a flagship loudspeaker, the press comes running, and that is exactly what happened last week at GTT Audio & Video, one of YG’s largest dealers, located in Long Valley, New Jersey. This new speaker is the $265,000 USD (per pair) Sonja XV (eXtreme Version), a 15-year-anniversary model consisting of two towers -- one main tower and one woofer tower. A new ultra-high-end addition to the company’s Sonja line of speakers, the XV incorporates YG’s latest technologies. YG’s president, Yoav Geva, says that the XV is the closest that the company has ever come to the natural sound of a live performance.
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- Written by Hans Wetzel Hans Wetzel
- Parent Category: BloggingOnAudio BloggingOnAudio
- Created: 15 July 2016 15 July 2016
Bowers & Wilkins’s 50th Anniversary: The 800 D3
There’s no question about it: it’s kind of lame to call the presser for a new loudspeaker an “event.” A plywood box with some extruded-aluminum and fancy drivers doesn’t get the blood flowing quite like the introduction of automotive stalwarts, such as Ferrari’s V8-powered sports car models, Porsche’s iconic 911, or BMW’s benchmark-setting M3. But in the case of the Bowers & Wilkins 800 D3, the newest flagship of the company’s legendary 800-series, the “event” moniker strikes me as warranted.
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