In Barn for Review
In Barn for Review: Bluesound POWERNODE
You put your Ethernet in / You put your speaker cables out / You plug it in / That’s what it’s all about!
Month: May 2022
HiFi News
High End Munich 2022 As Recorded By totaldac
Were you, like me, unable to attend the Munich show this year? Would you still like to get a taste? Whet your beak in the sounds and rooms of High End?
#NewMusicFriday
#NewMusicFriday: May 27, 2022
Each Friday, Stephen Mejias, AudioQuest’s Director of Communications and former Stereophile and Audiostream columnist, will browse through the many exciting albums released that day and select 15 worth a closer listen.
Album of the Week
Album of the Week: Sharon Van Etten | We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong
We invest in music and the people who make it in many ways.
HiFi Reviews
Review: Kinki Studio EX-M1 Integrated Amplifier
You can’t argue with the numbers. Or so the saying goes.
HiFi News
dCS Goes Direct Sales with the Headphone-Focused Lina System
UK’s dCS, makers of some of the finest digital gear I’ve had the pleasure to hear, have shifted sales model gears with their new Lina System, aimed squarely at the headphone Buy It Now crowd.
HiFi News
The iFi GO bar USB DAC/headphone amp: Portable Yet Powerful
If you want power in your pocket, if you need power in your pocket, iFi’s new GO bar portable USB DAC/headphone amp may be your lucky charm. Pictured is iFi’s 10th Anniversary Limited Edition GO bar that brings along the bling.
#NewMusicFriday
#NewMusicFriday: May 20, 2022
Each Friday, Stephen Mejias, AudioQuest’s Director of Communications and former Stereophile and Audiostream columnist, will browse through the many exciting albums released that day and select 15 worth a closer listen.
Album of the Week
Album of the Week: Mary Halvorson | Belladonna & Amaryllis
Belladonna is composer and guitarist Mary Halvorson and The Mivos Quartet performing five Halvorson compositions, her first for string quartet.
HiFi News
Munich High End 2022: News of the New
The press releases are pouring in for new product releases making their debut at Munich High End 2022. Here are a few highlights.
HiFi Thoughts
Certainly Uncertain: When Measurement Results Don’t Match Part Four | The GoldenSound Key
“Why you can’t trust audio measurements” is the title of GoldenSound’s latest video and it handily illustrates, in exquisite detail, how and why measurement results don’t match and why they cannot be trusted out of hand. Is it my birthday? Christmas in May?
In Barn for Review
In Barn for Review: ModWright KWH 225i Hybrid Integrated Amplifier
I’ve long admired the work of Dan Wright, President of ModWright Industries, but always from afar away from the Barn at hifi shows, most recently at Capital Audiofest 2021. The time was long overdue to get up close and personal with some ModWright.
HiFi News
High End Munich 2022: Faraway, So Close!
High End Munich 2022, the show of hifi shows, opens Thursday. I’ll be in the woods of western NJ, tending to the bear, the bees, and the Barn.
#NewMusicFriday
#NewMusicFriday: May 13, 2022
Each Friday, Stephen Mejias, AudioQuest’s Director of Communications and former Stereophile and Audiostream columnist, will browse through the many exciting albums released that day and select 15 worth a closer listen.
Album of the Week
Album of the Week: Oren Ambarchi / Johan Berthling / Andreas Werliin | Ghosted
The groove. Sometimes its all I want, all I need.
HiFi News
KEF Celebrates Its 60th Anniversary With the All-in-One (And Done) LS60 Floorstanding Wireless Speakers
The KEF LS50 may be the easiest active speaker to recommend.
HiFi News
Ten Years After: Living With the ADAM A3X A Decade On And The New ADAM A Series
As a reviewer of hifi gear, I have an unquenchable thirst for the new. If I didn’t, this would be a terrible job but as it stands, I thank my fortunate stars most days because I look forward to getting into the Barn and getting […]
HiFi Reviews
Review: Qln Prestige Five Loudspeakers
Loudspeakers convert an electrical signal into acoustic energy, i.e. sound waves. Sounds simple. With such a simple sounding job, I find it more than fascinating that the world of available loudspeakers diverge more than they converge when it comes to the mechanics of approaching this […]
HiFi News
Darko Audio Podcast #36: Munich 2022 Preview / AXPONA 2022 Review
I join John Darko, once again, to chat and this time we go on about my recent experience at Axpona 2022, focusing on a few favorites, and Darko’s thoughts on, and products of interest on exhibit at, the upcoming High End Munich 2022 show.
#NewMusicFriday
#NewMusicFriday: May 6, 2022
Each Friday, Stephen Mejias, AudioQuest’s Director of Communications and former Stereophile and Audiostream columnist, will browse through the many exciting albums released that day and select 15 worth a closer listen.
Album of the Week
Album of the Week: The Weather Station | How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars
The Weather Station is Tamara Lindeman, also known as Tamara Hope, a Canadian musician and actress who makes music a few steps astride the typical. Steps that I feel are in the right direction.
HiFi Thoughts
Let Me Count The Ways: 10 Reasons Why I (Still) Use Roon
I sat in on a seminar at Axpona 2022 called Reviewers on Reviewing. After moderator Julie Mullins (Stereophile) finished her questions for Marc Phillips (Part-Time Audiophile), Greg Weaver (the audio analyst), and I, Julie opened the discussion up to questions from the audience.
HiFi News
Bluesound’s the HUB Adds Legacy Audio Sources to Your Bluesound Network
Bluesound, makers of very good sounding affordable network-capable gear, have announced the HUB that turns old school audio sources into network and multi-room ready devices on any Bluesound network.
HiFi News
Chord Unveils the ULTIMA PRE 3 Analog Preamplifier
Chord’s industrial designs always bring to mind Captain Nemo, and that’s a good thing as the looks of many a piece of hifi gear bring to mind not much of anything except yet another sample in a long line of generic looking hifi. Yawn.
In Barn for Review
HiFi Thoughts
Those Obscure Objects of Desire
In the course of human endeavors, we make choices. Lots of choices most days, and we use any number of internal criteria to inform these decisions.