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- Written by Super User Super User
- Parent Category: Audio Video Show 2017 Audio Video Show 2017
- Created: 19 November 2017 19 November 2017
Audio Video Show 2017: Product Coverage Gallery 2
Companies featured in gallery below: Boenicke Audio, Sigma Acoustics, Gauder Akustik, Döhmann, Thrax Audio, Holophony, Closer Acoustics, Shape of Sound, Yayuma Audio, Monolith Audio, Genuin Audio
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- Written by Super User Super User
- Parent Category: Audio Video Show 2017 Audio Video Show 2017
- Created: 18 November 2017 18 November 2017
Audio Video Show 2017: Product Coverage Gallery 1
Companies featured in gallery below: Metaxas and Sins, Sonus Faber, Audio Research, Blumenhofer Acoustics, Mytek, Zeta Zero, SoulSonic, Natural Sound, Esa Loudspeakers, Furutech, MySound, Dynaudio, Pivetta
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Parent Category: Audio Video Show 2017 Audio Video Show 2017
- Created: 17 November 2017 17 November 2017
Audio Video Show 2017: Sonus Faber Aida 2017 Debut
“Aida is Aida and it’s timeless,” Sonus Faber industrial designer Livio Cucuzza told me. His statement goes a long way to explain why the newest version of the Aida loudspeaker, which was unveiled in the largest display room at the Warsaw National Stadium location of Audio Video Show 2017, looks pretty much the same as the one that debuted in 2011. “Cosmetically, no big changes—just updated the front and rear baffles,” he added. He also said that in addition to the Red and Walnut finishes of the existing Aida, the new model is now available in a dark-brown Wenge finish, which debuted at Munich’s High End 2017 in the company’s Homage series.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 10 October 2017 10 October 2017
RMAF 2017: Grab Bag
At the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in Denver, Colorado, there are always lots of products that don’t fit the categories I usually focus on, but which merit audiophiles’ attention nonetheless. Here are the most interesting ones I found, from headphone pads and AC regenerators to things that are way too complicated to describe in one sentence. All prices in USD.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 10 October 2017 10 October 2017
RMAF 2017: Headphones and Earphones, Part 2
A big part of the 2017 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest is the CanJam show, which focuses on headphones and headphone amps and accessories. CanJam filled a large ballroom and a section of the main floor at the Denver Marriott Tech Center in Denver, Colorado. Here’s the second part of my coverage of new headphones and earphones at RMAF, with all prices in USD.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 09 October 2017 09 October 2017
RMAF 2017: Audio Electronics, Part 2
Here’s the second part of my coverage of the new audio electronics introduced at the 2017 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. All prices in USD.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 09 October 2017 09 October 2017
RMAF 2017: Audio Electronics, Part 1
The 2017 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest showcased a wide variety of new audio products shown for the very first time in public (or at least for the first time in the US). Of course, there were lots of new amplifiers and other audio electronics on display. I probably saw only a fraction of them, but here’s the first batch of electronic components that most caught my interest, with all prices in USD.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 09 October 2017 09 October 2017
RMAF 2017: Speakers, Part 2
Here’s the second part of my coverage of the new speakers introduced (or demoed for the first time in the U.S.) at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, which took place last weekend at the Denver Tech Center Marriott in Denver, Colorado. All prices in USD. To see the first part, click here.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 09 October 2017 09 October 2017
RMAF 2017: Speakers, Part 1
The 2017 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest has just wrapped up as I write this. It’s one of the best places in the world for audiophiles to hear the latest in speakers, and even though my time at this year’s show was rather short, I did get to see and hear quite a few interesting models making their debut in the US (or in a few cases, worldwide). I’ve already covered Focal’s new Kanta No2 speaker, and here are some of the other interesting new models I saw at RMAF. All prices in USD.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 07 October 2017 07 October 2017
RMAF 2017: Headphones and Earphones, Part 1
The 2017 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, held at the Denver Marriott Tech Center in Denver, Colorado, incorporates a separate headphone show called CanJam, an event that also takes place in six other cities around the world at various times of the year. The RMAF edition of CanJam is probably the biggest headphone show in the world for audiophile headphones, countless samples of which were on demo in one of the Marriott’s large ballrooms and in other locations.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 06 October 2017 06 October 2017
RMAF 2017: Focal Launches Kanta Speaker Line
Focal kicked off the 2017 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in Denver, Colorado, with what it said was the first worldwide product launch it has made in the United States. The new Kanta No2 speaker represents a simultaneously more modern but less expensive take on the company’s popular Sopra line. The No2 is the first speaker in the Kanta line -- others will follow. Kanta derives from the Spanish word for sing.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 11 September 2017 11 September 2017
CEDIA Expo 2017: Grab Bag
The 2017 CEDIA Expo incorporated all sorts of diverse technologies and specialties, from audio and video to home automation and more. While walking the show, I found a lot of interesting products that didn’t fit into the product categories I was covering, but that I thought deserved attention. Here are a few of them, with all prices in USD.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 11 September 2017 11 September 2017
CEDIA Expo 2017: Speakers
The focus at the CEDIA Expo, the 2017 edition of which took place at the San Diego Convention Center, is more on custom-installed audio systems than traditional audio, which means we always see a lot more new in-wall and in-ceiling models than freestanding speakers. But there were a few new interesting freestanding models at the 2017 Expo. Here are the most interesting ones I found, with all prices in USD.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 10 September 2017 10 September 2017
CEDIA Expo 2017: In-Wall and In-Ceiling Speakers
While the 2017 CEDIA Expo, which took place last week at the San Diego Convention Center, showed quite a few conventional speakers, the focus was on so-called “architectural” speakers, which for the most part means in-wall and in-ceiling models. Fortunately, many of the most revered brands in audio have gotten into this market, so the 2017 Expo witnessed some highly inventive new architectural models that look like they might be competitive with some of the best freestanding speakers.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 10 September 2017 10 September 2017
CEDIA Expo 2017: Audio Electronics
When it comes to audio electronics, the 2017 CEDIA Expo, which took place at the San Diego Convention Center (and was just about to close as I write this from the front lobby of the SDCC), focused mostly on surround-sound and multiroom audio gear. But there were a few new products of interest to two-channel audio aficionados. Here are the most interesting ones I found, with all prices in USD.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 09 September 2017 09 September 2017
CEDIA Expo 2017: Wireless Speakers
It used to be rare to find wireless speakers at the CEDIA Expo, which focuses on custom-installed audio/video systems and home automation. But the 2017 CEDIA Expo, which took place at the San Diego Convention Center, had quite a few new wireless speakers. This product category is growing so fast and capturing so much of the public’s attention that few audio manufacturers can afford to ignore it.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 08 September 2017 08 September 2017
CEDIA Expo 2017: Subwoofers
On Thursday, September 7, the 2017 CEDIA Expo opened at the San Diego Convention Center, displaying what is surely the world’s largest assortment of audio and video gear designed for custom installation. The CEDIA Expo focuses mostly on large home-theater systems, in-wall and in-ceiling audio systems, and outdoor audio products, but it also tends to feature a good number of stereo music products and often a smattering of mass-market stuff such as headphones and Bluetooth speakers.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 04 June 2017 04 June 2017
LAAS 2017: Speakers
I always enjoy smaller, regional events such as the Los Angeles Audio Show, which debuted this weekend at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel, because they often include lesser-known companies that would likely get lost in the noise (literally and figuratively) at the big national and international shows. I found several interesting new speakers at LAAS, from conservatively engineered models to some of the most interesting designs I’ve ever seen. As with my electronics article, I focused on smaller companies here because we’ve covered most of the big-name launches in our CES and High End reports. All prices in USD.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 04 June 2017 04 June 2017
LAAS 2017: Electronics
The Los Angeles Audio Show 2017, taking place at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel, hosted a wide variety of audio electronics manufacturers displaying products ranging from the most elite high-end amps, preamps, and DACs to electronics costing just a few hundred dollars. Most of the big players in the audio industry launched their new electronics at CES, held in Las Vegas in January, or High End, which was last month in Munich, so I’ve decided to focus here on less well-known companies whose new products we haven’t yet covered. All prices in USD.
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- Written by Brent Butterworth Brent Butterworth
- Parent Category: Shows-Events Shows-Events
- Created: 03 June 2017 03 June 2017
LAAS 2017: A Different Kind of MQA Demo
I’ve attended many demos of MQA, a technology that compresses high-resolution audio files down to the size of standard-resolution files, and claims to correct “time smearing” problems in the process. I found those demos unconvincing. Most played MQA files on their own without comparing them with the original files or with the uncompressed high-res files. I got one reasonably decent MQA demo at the 2016 T.H.E. Show Newport, but I heard nothing in the MQA-processed pop and rock recordings to convince me that MQA was a significant sonic advance.
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