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Brent's Guide to Affordable New Gear at High End 2016

Details: Written by: Brent Butterworth; Category: Features; Created: 07 May 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.

High End 2016 Product Coverage Gallery 3

Details: Written by: Administrator; Category: Photos; Created: 07 May 2016

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

BACCH-SP and MQA -- A Great Demo and a Not-So-Great Demo

Details: Written by: Brent Butterworth; Category: Features; Created: 06 May 2016

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.

High End 2016 Product Coverage Gallery 2

Details: Written by: Administrator; Category: Photos; Created: 06 May 2016

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

High End 2016 Product Coverage Gallery 1

Details: Written by: Administrator; Category: Photos; Created: 05 May 2016

Companies featured in gallery below: MSB Technology, Atohm, Kharma, Heco, Albedo, VTL, Metaxas, CH Precision, PureFlow, Zellaton, Estelon, Cyrus, Lindemann, Marten, Nagra

CanJam SoCal 2016

Details: Written by: Brent Butterworth; Category: CanJam SoCal 2016; Created: 21 March 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.

Off Again, On Again -- the 2016 Montréal Salon Audio Show

Details: Written by: Doug Schneider; Category: Doug Schneider; Created: 19 March 2016

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 . . .

Keeping the LPs and the Wife

Details: Written by: Jason Thorpe; Category: Jason Thorpe; Created: 02 March 2016

I hate water. Over the past 20 years, I’ve had a number of house-related floods, including a sewer-backup shit-water apocalypse, two washing-machine overflows, and a leak behind a wall that required removing and replacing the entire wastewater stack, spanning four floors of my home.

Shunyata Research and the Power-Cable Tryouts -- Part 2

Details: Written by: Doug Schneider; Category: Doug Schneider; Created: 25 February 2016

If you read “Shunyata Research and the Power-Cable Tryouts -- Part 1” when it was first published in early January, then you will know that I am about a month behind with this article. In that first part, I wrote that I installed Shunyata Research Venom PS8 power distributors, Venom HC power cords, and Venom Defender noise suppressors in my system and that you should “check back for an update toward the end of this month to find out how it all performed.”

One Day at Magico

Details: Written by: Hans Wetzel; Category: Hans Wetzel; Created: 11 February 2016

I often find that a company’s products are a reflection of their creator, and in the case of Magico’s loudspeakers, the resemblance to Alon Wolf is unmistakable. The founder of the Hayward, California, manufacturer is a serious man, one who talks with an unwavering sense of purpose. As I sat across from him in his office, his fanatical attention to quality became quickly apparent. Behind him was part of a medium-format camera on a gorgeous wooden tripod that he used to take the stunning photographs that adorn the walls of his office. On his wrist was a Japanese watch with a movement that makes a Patek Philippe’s look amateurish by comparison. And on his desk were a couple of drivers from a competing loudspeaker maker that he eagerly compared to his own designs, explaining in detail how the materials and methodologies that Magico employ offer superior performance. For Wolf, appearance comes a distant second to technical excellence. “We build loudspeakers, not furniture,” he told me matter-of-factly.

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