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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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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Parent Category: BloggingOnAudio BloggingOnAudio
- Created: 08 June 2016 08 June 2016
Paul Barton's RoomFeel Explanation and Experiment
On May 20, Lenbrook Industries brought a group of journalists to Ottawa, Canada, so PSB’s Paul Barton could show them the acoustics lab at Canada’s National Research Council (NRC) and explain what RoomFeel technology is and how it applies to headphones he develops there. Barton has been going to NRC since 1973, the longest of any speaker designer.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: T.H.E. Show Newport 2016 T.H.E. Show Newport 2016
- Created: 06 June 2016 06 June 2016
T.H.E. Show Newport 2016: I Finally Got a Decent MQA Demo!
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 Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: T.H.E. Show Newport 2016 T.H.E. Show Newport 2016
- Created: 05 June 2016 05 June 2016
T.H.E. Show Newport 2016: Grab Bag
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 Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: T.H.E. Show Newport 2016 T.H.E. Show Newport 2016
- Created: 05 June 2016 05 June 2016
T.H.E. Show Newport 2016: Source Devices
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 Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: T.H.E. Show Newport 2016 T.H.E. Show Newport 2016
- Created: 05 June 2016 05 June 2016
T.H.E. Show Newport 2016: Amps and Preamps
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 Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: T.H.E. Show Newport 2016 T.H.E. Show Newport 2016
- Created: 04 June 2016 04 June 2016
T.H.E. Show Newport 2016: Speakers
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 Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: T.H.E. Show Newport 2016 T.H.E. Show Newport 2016
- Created: 03 June 2016 03 June 2016
T.H.E. Show Newport 2016: Affordable Headphones at a High-End Show?
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 Doug Schneider
- Parent Category: High End 2016 High End 2016
- Created: 08 May 2016 08 May 2016
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- Written by Administrator Administrator
- Parent Category: High End 2016 High End 2016
- Created: 08 May 2016 08 May 2016
High End 2016 Product Coverage Gallery 5
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 Administrator
- Parent Category: High End 2016 High End 2016
- Created: 08 May 2016 08 May 2016
High End 2016 Product Coverage Gallery 4
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 Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: High End 2016 High End 2016
- Created: 08 May 2016 08 May 2016
The Coolest Equipment Racks at High End 2016
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 Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: High End 2016 High End 2016
- Created: 07 May 2016 07 May 2016
Brent's Guide to Affordable New Gear at High End 2016
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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- Written by Administrator Administrator
- Parent Category: High End 2016 High End 2016
- Created: 07 May 2016 07 May 2016
High End 2016 Product Coverage Gallery 3
Companies featured in gallery below: ADL, Audio-Technica, Audio Valve, Fisher Audio, Kennerton Audio Equipment, King Sound, PerfectSound, Ultrasone, Violetric, Progressive Audio, Fink Team, Marantz, Focal, Thorens, Musical Fidelity, Soulution, TechDAS
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: High End 2016 High End 2016
- Created: 06 May 2016 06 May 2016
BACCH-SP and MQA -- A Great Demo and a Not-So-Great Demo
I’ve heard two technology demos so far at High End 2016, and my reaction to them couldn’t have been more different. One sold me in the first few seconds; it was the kind of presentation that keeps my enthusiasm for audio going after all these decades. The other disappointed me; it left me questioning the viability of the technology and wondering how it could be sold to anyone beyond the most credulous audiophiles.
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- Written by Administrator Administrator
- Parent Category: High End 2016 High End 2016
- Created: 06 May 2016 06 May 2016
High End 2016 Product Coverage Gallery 2
Companies featured in gallery below: Wilson-Benesch, Audiolab, EAR, Vitus Audio, Raidho Acoustics, Crystal Cable, ELAC, Esoteric, Argento Audio, Tidal Audio, Audia Flight, PMC, Constellation Audio, Magico, MartinLogan
- Details
- Written by Administrator Administrator
- Parent Category: High End 2016 High End 2016
- Created: 05 May 2016 05 May 2016
High End 2016 Product Coverage Gallery 1
Companies featured in gallery below: MSB Technology, Atohm, Kharma, Heco, Albedo, VTL, Metaxas, CH Precision, PureFlow, Zellaton, Estelon, Cyrus, Lindemann, Marten, Nagra
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 21 March 2016 21 March 2016
CanJam SoCal 2016
CanJam encompasses a series of headphone shows that take place at various locations around the world. Arguably, the most important one in North America is CanJam SoCal, the show that takes place in the Los Angeles area -- specifically at the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel in Costa Mesa, California. The 2016 SoCal show, held March 19 to 20, hosted about 60 exhibitors, plus a surprising number of new products.
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Parent Category: BloggingOnAudio BloggingOnAudio
- Created: 19 March 2016 19 March 2016
Off Again, On Again -- the 2016 Montréal Salon Audio Show
On March 9 I received an e-mail from the Chester Group (CG), which is based in the UK, saying that the annual hi-fi show in Montréal had been cancelled this year, but the organizers promised to attempt it again in 2017. It was scheduled for March 18 to 20. In that same e-mail, they cited a lack of exhibitors this year as their excuse for letting everyone down so close to the show dates. What a blow to the Canadian hi-fi scene, I thought. But less than one day later, I received an e-mail from Michel Plante saying that it was still on. They were both right. I’ll explain . . .
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