“Jazz is Dead” a sign proclaims next to a picasso-esque portrait of Miles Davis deep into his horn. Duality is everywhere in Common Wave Hi-Fi, the Kissa-esque audio loft in Downtown Los Angeles run by Wes Katzir; rare Japanese jazz records line the walls, sharing space with vintage handheld game consoles, Parliament Funkadelic posters, Asian sculpture […]
Acora Acoustics at Common Wave Hi-Fi in Los Angeles | EVENT READ MORE
I’ve for some years now held the position that hi-fi gear, like the Alluxity INT One MkII, is furniture — that one of the things that differentiates it from professional studio or live sound setups is precisely that which audiophiles least enjoy talking about: how it fits into your living room. And yet, for those
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Our high-end audio show calendar reaches its season finale this coming weekend. The Capital Audiofest 2023 show is billed by many as the more casual event of the year, and yet it no less represents the finest opportunity for audiophiles and those new to high-end audio to an experience that only dreams are made of.
Capital Audiofest 2023 | PREVIEW READ MORE
The Roman Theatre of Orange (Théâtre antique d’Orange) in Orange, Vaucluse, France was constructed sometime in the earliest years of the first century, AD. It remains one of the most cherished, well preserved, and active theatres in European history. Playing home most recently to the well known Chorégies d’Orange since 1860, a summer opera festival
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Not everyone has to start somewhere, and for that reason “high-end home audio” for us begins with products like the Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond flagship line of speakers. Throughout the history of their lineage, they have graced some of the most renowned recording studios in the world. Ever heard of Abbey Road Studios?
Bowers & Wilkins 600 Series, a Music Lover’s First Step into True Sound READ MORE
UPDATE: COVERAGE HAS BEGUN To the uninitiated, this is a stop-by-stop tour through what we believe to be the highlights of the Audio Advice LIVE ’23 show. Yet, this is only a glimpse of the best that high-end home audio and high-end home theater have to offer—each at varying strata of the lifestyle. Here are the debuts (of which
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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
Seawave, Ayre, Aurender, Cardas | AXPONA 2023 READ MORE
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
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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
All of us on the INDULGR team have become accustomed to the phrase “the jury is still out on this one“, meaning that enough data points have not been collected over time to say one has formed an opinion worth sharing. As far as new products go this is the norm, and especially so when
Peaks by YG Acoustics, Black by Bel Canto, Cardas | AXPONA 2023 READ MORE
If you started off your Axpona 2023 experience by rushing to floor sixteen (the uppermost altitude-iness floor of the show) exiting the elevators to the short end of the hallway, and set off on your weekend tour, letting gravity take the lead, then you likely encountered Bayz Audio via New York City based ultra-high-end dealer
Bayz Audio, VAC, Taiko, Esoteric, Rhapsody Audio | AXPONA 2023 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
Alluxity, Chario, Monarch Systems | AXPONA 2023 READ MORE
Zesto Audio, a California based high-end electronics company, was debuting their new Eros 500 Select Monoblock amplifiers, sold in pairs for $35,000 pr USD. Showing in the system: loudspeakers from YG Acoustics, electronics from Zesto, turntable from Dr. Feickert, cables from Cardas, and support from Stillpoints. Reporting by Eric Franklin Shook The new Eros 500
Zesto Audio, YG Acoustics, Dr. Feickert Analogue, Stillpoints, Cardas | AXPONA 2023 READ MORE
