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- Written by Roger Kanno Roger Kanno
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 11 May 2019 11 May 2019
High End 2019: Listening to “Kind of Blue” (and “Sketches of Spain”), Yet Again
When I first heard that two of Miles Davis’s classic albums, Kind of Blue and Sketches of Spain, were being remixed in Dolby Atmos, I feared the worst. As I headed into the packed demonstration room to listen to the remixes of these great albums, I had thoughts of Davis, Coltrane, Adderley, and others bouncing around above my head.
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- Written by Jeff Fritz Jeff Fritz
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 11 May 2019 11 May 2019
High End 2019: Speakers, Part 3
Speakers, speakers everywhere! We experienced the wildest, most-ambitious design at the show, and a high-end stalwart introduced more affordable models. And, oh, a Danish brand demonstrated its best loudspeaker yet . . .
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- Written by Gordon Brockhouse Gordon Brockhouse
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 11 May 2019 11 May 2019
High End 2019: Headphones and Portable Electronics, Part 2
About a week before I got on a plane to Munich, Doug Schneider asked me if I’d like to cover headphones and related products at the show. Absolutely -- a big chunk of my listening is done through ’phones, so I’m really interested in the category.
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- Written by Jeff Fritz Jeff Fritz
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 10 May 2019 10 May 2019
High End 2019: Speakers, Part 2
Big, impressive speakers are always a highlight at High End, and the 2019 event was certainly no exception. Speakers I saw came in lots of configurations, sizes, and at every price point imaginable. Multi-way dynamic speakers seemed more common than any other type, though an array of horn-type models were also plentiful. Let’s start with the former . . .
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- Written by Roger Kanno Roger Kanno
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 10 May 2019 10 May 2019
High End 2019: Electronics, Part 3
Even though the audio show held in Munich each spring is called “High End,” it still offers frugal audiophiles like me plenty to see and hear. High End 2019 didn’t feature a lot of gear at mass-market prices, but it did include many excellent new products that provide high value for their cost. Here are a few of the electronic components that caught my eye for providing interesting features at relatively reasonable prices. All prices are in euros (€) or US dollars ($).
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 10 May 2019 10 May 2019
High End 2019: Electronics, Part 2
In the online hi-fi world, I noticed a new and welcome trend. Instead of companies waiting until High End actually starts to announce new products that would be shown there, as most did in previous years, many companies announced them days or even weeks in advance to start getting word out. They either e-mailed the information out to group lists or posted it on social media (usually Facebook) as a story or a link to their website. Since I’m online almost all the time, these early releases helped me get my initial coverage up more quickly. Here’s the first batch of hi-fi electronics, with all prices in euros (€) or US dollars ($).
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- Written by Gordon Brockhouse Gordon Brockhouse
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 10 May 2019 10 May 2019
High End 2019: Streaming and Lifestyle Audio, Part 1
Munich’s High End is mostly about serious high-end audio, but this year’s edition also had a lot of fodder for my primary beat, “convenient, lifestyle-oriented hi-fi,” to quote the blurb for SoundStage! Simplifi on our network portal. On the first day, I came across more Simplifi’d audio products than I can cover in a single report, and there are many halls that I haven’t yet visited, so check back for further updates. All prices are in euros (€) or US dollars ($).
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 10 May 2019 10 May 2019
High End 2019: Speakers, Part 1
Munich’s High End still reigns supreme as the world’s largest and most important hi-fi show, which is why we love it. One problem its size poses, however, is that it’s next to impossible for our team to cover every product presented during the show’s four-day run. I doubt we’ll achieve 100% coverage of the show this year, either -- but that doesn’t mean we can’t do better than in the past.
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- Written by Gordon Brockhouse Gordon Brockhouse
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 09 May 2019 09 May 2019
High End 2019: Headphones and Portable Electronics, Part 1
I’m the Munich newbie in the SoundStage! crew. High End has been on my bucket list for over a decade, and it’s all I hoped it would be and more. In addition to my regular beat for SoundStage! -- Simplifi’d hi-fi -- I have another gig for Munich: headphones and portable electronics. It’s a big assignment, because there are scads of new products -- more than I can cover in my first report (so check back tomorrow). All prices here are in euros (€) or US dollars ($).
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- Written by Jeff Fritz Jeff Fritz
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 09 May 2019 09 May 2019
High End 2019: Electronics, Part 1
Expensive electronics abound in Munich at High End, and the first batch I came across was of the massive, solid-state variety. As well, most of it came housed in the machined-aluminum-encased enclosures that audiophiles know and love. All prices are in euros (€) or US dollars ($).
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- Written by Roger Kanno Roger Kanno
- Parent Category: BloggingOnAudio BloggingOnAudio
- Created: 28 April 2019 28 April 2019
Listening to the Bowers & Wilkins Formation Duo Wireless Speakers at Hi-Fi Centre's Vancouver Audio Festival 2019
Last week, Bowers & Wilkins announced its new Formation line of wireless products, which I first read about on our SoundStage! Australia website. It really piqued my interest.
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- Written by Howard Kneller Howard Kneller
- Parent Category: BloggingOnAudio BloggingOnAudio
- Created: 03 April 2019 03 April 2019
Pop-Up Audio Demo at Gingko Audio
There wasn’t much advance notice, but it wouldn’t be a pop-up if there were. Recently, New Jersey-based Gingko Audio extended a last-minute invitation to a few audiophiles and fellow manufacturers to attend a pop-up audio demo on March 23. Word of the event was also spread to the New York and New Jersey audio societies.
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- Written by Gordon Brockhouse Gordon Brockhouse
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 24 March 2019 24 March 2019
Montréal Audio Fest 2019: Electronics, Part 2
Is the 2019 edition of Montréal Audio Fest the busiest audio show in Montreal ever? I can’t say, because I’ve attended the show for only a few years. But I had lunch with an industry veteran who said this is the busiest he’s seen the show (Montréal Audio Fest and its predecessor, Salon Son et Image) in a decade.
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 24 March 2019 24 March 2019
Montréal Audio Fest 2019: Speakers, Part 2
Finding speakers to cover at Montréal Audio Fest 2019 wasn’t hard -- they were in abundance, varying greatly in shape, size, price, and, most impressively, country of origin. In fact, it’s been years since I saw so many speakers from so many places at this show. Below is the second batch of speakers that caught my eye, with prices in Canadian dollars unless specified otherwise. You can read my first installment about new speakers at Montreal here.
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- Written by Jason Thorpe Jason Thorpe
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 23 March 2019 23 March 2019
Montréal Audio Fest 2019: Cables and Accessories
There’s a huge infrastructure that supports the speakers, amps, and sources at audio shows. However, the cables and accessories often don’t share in the glamor that speakers, electronics, and turntables enjoy. And that’s a shame, really, because systems just can’t work without cables, and the accessories add some spice to an ecosystem that would otherwise be at least somewhat sterile. Below are the new cables and accessories I found in Montreal, with all prices in Canadian dollars unless specified otherwise.
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 23 March 2019 23 March 2019
Montréal Audio Fest 2019: Speakers, Part 1
Loudspeakers are the easiest for me to cover for three reasons: they’re typically the most obvious things when you enter a room, I keep abreast of the market and usually know right off the bat what’s new and what’s not, and I’m really into speaker design and always keen to learn what might be new. As a result, the moment I got to the Hotel Bonaventure, the home of Montréal Audio Fest 2019, I started looking at loudspeakers and little else. Below are the first speakers I found, with all prices in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted.
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- Written by Jason Thorpe Jason Thorpe
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 23 March 2019 23 March 2019
Montréal Audio Fest 2019: Turntables and Related
The Montréal Audio Fest was jumping this year. Over the last two years I’ve felt a buzz ramping up at this show, but 2019 feels like it’s on another level. It’s like adding more mass to an already massive sun -- eventually it reaches a critical mass and begins to contract under its own weight. So goes it with the MAF. There were more exhibitors this year, and the Friday of the show, which is usually quite sedate, was just packed with showgoers. All good omens for the future of the show.
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- Written by Gordon Brockhouse Gordon Brockhouse
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 23 March 2019 23 March 2019
Montréal Audio Fest 2019: Electronics, Part 1
When I arrived at Hotel Bonaventure just before noon on day one of the Montréal Audio Fest 2019, there had to be at least 100 people in the registration lineup. So, not surprisingly, exhibit rooms were busy throughout the day.
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- Written by Jason Thorpe Jason Thorpe
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 22 March 2019 22 March 2019
Montréal Audio Fest 2019: Kirmuss-Cleaning “Showdown!”
First order of business at the Montréal Audio Fest 2019 is to scour as many of the used record bins as possible before the crowds dig up all the uncut diamonds.
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 22 March 2019 22 March 2019
Montréal Audio Fest 2019: PMC's North American Fenestria Loudspeaker Launch
It was purely a coincidence. Late in the day on March 21, I had little to do as I walked around the hallways of Hotel Bonaventure, in downtown Montreal, as companies were setting up for Montréal Audio Fest 2019, to be held March 22 to 24. The show was still a day away, so you can imagine that few were ready to showcase anything. I looked in room after room and saw little. Ready to give up and go get something to eat, I opened one last door -- to the room of Motet Distribution, distributor in Canada for at least a half-dozen brands, including the UK’s PMC. When I looked in the room, I saw a crowd of people and someone said, “Come in, you’re just in time.” Little did I know I had just walked into the North American launch of PMC’s Fenestria loudspeaker, a bold statement piece priced in Canada at $90,000 per pair ($65,000 per pair in the US).
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