The Introduction: Vivid Audio Giya G4 S2 Outside of the Paddington Station west entrance there is a man inside the face of a clock, and every minute he wipes away the minute hand and paints a new one in its place – watch him long enough and you’ll even see the hour hand replaced. I …
I write this review of the SW1X DAC IV Special while on a train gliding through the German countryside, listening to what I can only describe as guilty pleasure songs through a pair of second generation Apple AirPod Pro in-ear headphones. The experience I am having can only be described as meditative—there is little in …
What is the size of a grain of salt? A question like this seems relatively trivial to the cook, but to the Chefs at Roister — Grant Achatz of Alinea, Next and Aviary fame, and the casual dining location of today’s visit in West Loop Chicago — the answer is what makes and breaks their execution. …
T.H.E. Show 2023 presented a selection of electronics this year that were far and away higher-end and better sounding than in past years, and to my ears the new hotel had less challenging rooms and better results than previous years in Long Beach. Here are my personal highlights. Reporting by Grover Neville More of our …
T.H.E. Show 2023 presented a selection of speakers this year that were far and away higher-end and better sounding than in past years, and to my ears the new hotel had less challenging rooms and better results than previous years in Long Beach. Here’s a small selection of my personal highlights. Reporting by Grover Neville …
Angie Lisi of American Sound of Canada, who has recently taken on Rethm, and had some hiding in a second system in her large top-floor suite at Axpona 2023 was also rocking a number of other cool brands. Among them, Phasemation, Esoteric’s Magne-drive magnetic drive turntable, a full dCS Vivaldi Apex stack, and a pair …
Avantgarde, Phasemation, Esoteric, dCS, American Sound of Canada | AXPONA 2023 READ MORE
Treehaus Audiolab continues my theme of show rooms doing hifi different. Rich Pinto, who is fast becoming a familiar face to the INDULGR crew, were showing his irrepressibly organic approach to audio, which included the Treehaus National Treasure Field Coil Loudspeakers, an open-baffle full-range field coil speaker design which use a Fostex T90A super tweeter …
Treehaus Audiolab, Innuos, Iconoclast Cable | AXPONA 2023 READ MORE
Fidelity Imports was showing, by my count, six separate rooms at Axpona 2023 – and all of the ones I went into had very cool gear in them. The standout for me was the Diptyque Audio and Audia Flight room, which displayed a trait you really never expect from a panel speaker: bass. Reporting by …
Diptyque, Audia Flight, Michell Audio, NEO, Fidelity Imports | AXPONA 2023 READ MORE
Seawave Acoustics of South Korea, started by a Buddhist monk who was initially interested in recording his teacher, was one of the more interesting rooms at Axpona 2023. This company has had some presence in the North American market in the past, but made a bigger splash this year, showing off three sizes of their …
TIDAL Audio (and Vimberg for that matter) were present in several rooms, including the ultra-precise yet smooth Wynn Audio room where Vimberg was on display in one of the larger ballrooms, and the Bricasti Design and TIDAL Audio system in one of the atrium hotel rooms. Showing was a full stack of Bricasti M1 and …
Rethm Audio’s Jacob George, one of my favorite people in the audio industry, was present at Axpona 2023 making a rather special showing. Having celebrated a newly inked distribution deal with Angie Lisi of American Sound of Canada, Jacob had every model in his current lineup present and was swapping speakers throughout the show. My …
Rethm, Phasemation, Audio Research, HRS | AXPONA ’23 READ MORE
Vivid Audio loudspeakers and I have a long-standing situationship: readers familiar with my tastes will know my love for the avantgarde and whimsical in all things art and design, and there is perhaps no more beautifully designed speaker than the Giya range in one of the brilliant Oyster Matte colors. What I have so far …
Vivid Audio, Audionet, Mola Mola, Kubala-Sosna, GTT Audio | AXPONA 2023 READ MORE
Monarch Systems was running perhaps the most characterful room of Axpona 2023, decorated like a Tiki bar, with statues, grass table skirts, island-themed room treatment banners, and the crew from Monarch decked out in shorts, Hawaiian shirts and colorful Leis. When anyone talks about putting some fun in audio — this is how to do …
One of the great joys of the pursuit of Hi-Fi is just that: the pursuit. In the course of finding the best we find many substitutes, these being speakers and electronics which please us in various ways, or offer small glimpses of better. But best? Never. It isn’t possible to have the best, only whatever …
