September 2020 - Twittering Machines

Review: Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC

September 30, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

I’ll have the fish, hold the chips. Something I’ve never said but I couldn’t resist playing with Mola Mola’s fish themed names and the fact that the Tambaqui DAC does not use a DAC chip for D to A conversion.

Roon Changes Support For Uncertified Roon Ready Devices

September 29, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

It used to be the case that if you owned an uncertified Roon Ready device, meaning one that was still going through the certification process but not yet certified, it would still work. You could still use it as a Roon Audio Output device. As […]

Vivid Audio Gives Birth To The KAYA S12

September 28, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

The wholly organic shape of the new Vivid Audio KAYA S12 standmount speakers ($6500/pair) is more a product of performance than appearance.

The HIGH END Munich 2021 Show Dates Announced

September 28, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

The HIGH END Munich 2021 show dates are set: May 13 to May 16, 2021. And we’re talking about a real, in person show with nothing virtual about it.

HiFi Bargains: AudioQuest PowerQuest 3

September 27, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

Clean power is nothing to sneeze at.

Movies That Don’t Suck: Starring Dirk Bogarde

September 26, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

Dirk Bogarde, so-named by his agent, was a dashing leading man who ran from his cheesecake roles as soon as his contract with the Rank Organisation ended in 1960 to explore deeper, darker characters.

Album of the Week: Idles | Ultra Mono

September 25, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

The Idles have gone and done it — Ultra Mono is a record for the times, filled with rage, fury, fight, and compassion.

Review: totaldac d1-tube DAC/Streamer

September 24, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

Vincent Brient’s newest creation, the totaldac d1-tube DAC/Streamer, which falls on the lower end of the company’s price list, offers the benefits of being imbued with the totaldac house sound. For anyone who has heard a totaldac or read one of my reviews of same, […]

Sonus Faber Launches The New Exclusive Limited-Edition Il Cremonese Ex3Me

September 23, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

Named after Antonio Stradivari’s most revered Cremonese violin, the New Exclusive Limited-Edition Il Cremonese Ex3Me ($58,000) is limited to 50 pairs.

KEF Unveils The New And Improved LS50 Collection

September 22, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

KEF takes their much-lauded, dare I say classic, LS50 loudspeaker to new heights with the introduction of the LS50 Collection.

Qobuz Live & Rhino Present: ‘John Coltrane – Giant Steps 60’: An All-Star Livestream Discussion

September 22, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

All-Star indeed as the panel doing the discussing includes saxophonists Archie Shepp(!!), Lakecia Benjamin, Shabaka Hutchings, and Melissa Aldana moderated by Ashley Kahn, author of two books on Coltrane, and Greg Tate, the Louis Armstrong Visiting Professor at Columbia University’s Center for Jazz Studies.

In Barn for Review: Line Magnetic Audio LM-845iA Integrated Amplifier

September 21, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

Glowing tubes and meters. Who doesn’t like glowing tubes and meters?

HiFi Bargains: Sansui AU-555A (1971 – 1973)

September 20, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

Vintage HiFi can be a veritable goldmine of HiFi Bargains. It can also be a minefield of mediocrity.

The Truth About A HiFi Lie: John DeVore Tells It Like It Is

September 19, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

Buying an amplifier for your speakers shouldn’t be a guessing game in terms of required power. Yet it is. If you’ve ever wondered why, John DeVore has your answer.

Album of the Week: H.C. McEntire | Eno Axis

September 18, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

The river Eno runs through North Carolina, past H.C McEntire’s home, and right through the heart of Eno Axis.

Is USB Audio Going The Way Of The Dodo?

September 17, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

Remember Computer Audio? When I was hired as Editor of the then nascent AudioStream in 2011, Computer Audio was all the rage. If you wanted to play with all of the newfangled higher PCM resolutions and DSD, USB was your only option. The thing was, […]

In Barn for Review: Kora TB140 Integrated Amplifier

September 16, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

The Kora TB140 Integrated Amplifier ($5250) is an interesting hybrid affair, using both tubes and transistors to get you high (voltage) and current delivery as needed.

The Soundwalk Collective and Patti Smith: The Perfect Vision Trilogy

September 15, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

Of the books I kept, some of the most sacred are those by Arthur Rimbaud, Antonin Artaud, and René Daumal. The Soundwalk Collective and Patti Smith have released a trio of albums dedicated to each, as if they were reading my mind’s eye, under the […]

In Barn for Review: Holo Audio KTE May DAC

September 15, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

Over three years of R&D went into producing the Holo Audio May DAC, which comes in three performance/price levels. The KTE (Kitsune Tuned Edition) version is the flagship.

Melco’s EX-Series Get Roon Ready

September 14, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

Melco’s Digital Music Library EX-Series are, with today’s firmware release, Roon Ready.

In Barn for Review: Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC

September 14, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

The Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC ($13,400) is not your grandmother’s DAC.

HiFi Bargains: SACThailand Minute EL84 Integrated Amplifier

September 13, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

I purchased the fully-assembled SACThailand Minute EL84 Integrated Amplifier back in 2006 for $325 (it was also available in kit form for $295) pegging its 14-year use cost at around $28/year. That, my friends, is a HiFi Bargain.

Movies That Don’t Suck: Early 1960’s Horror

September 12, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

Boo! Horror was different when I was a kid as much was left to take place in one’s imagination.

Album of the Week: Bill Callahan | Gold Record

September 11, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

“Hello, I’m Johnny Cash” so begins Bill Callahan’s Gold Record.

Review: Hegel H95 Integrated Amplifier

September 10, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

The $2,000 H95 is Oslo-based Hegel Music Systems’ least expensive H series integrated amplifier. You could call it their entry level model, but that would be misleading.

Axpona Releases Revised 2021 Show Dates

September 10, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

The new dates for Axpona 2021 are set — August 27-29, 2021.

In Barn For Review: totaldac d1-tube DAC/Streamer

September 9, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

I bet you saw that coming from 3506.39 miles away.

Denon Celebrates 110th Anniversary With Limited Special Edition Series

September 9, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

110 years. That is, according my records, a number to be very proud of in the ever shifting tides of HiFi. Congratulations are in order.

Lavorgna Goes To The Darko Side

September 8, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

As part of my re-entry into being a full-time audiophile, I am very happy to share that I will be contributing reviews to Darko.Audio.

ASUS Launches MQA Headphones For Gamers

September 8, 2020 Michael Lavorgna

Gamers are dead serious about Gaming. I say this with little knowledge other than circumstantial evidence as evinced by the amount of money spent on the hobby. Sound familiar?