The Short List
The Short List: Favorite Amplifiers (March 2026)
Spring cleaning—The Short List: Favorite Amplifiers!
Articles by Michael Lavorgna
HiFi News
Octave Audio Improves on a Classic With the New Jubilee Preamp SE
I had the distinct pleasure of reviewing Octave’s Jubilee stack last summer, a mighty yet delicate pre/power combo that included the Jubilee Preamplifer.
Axpona 2026
Axpona 2026 Debut: A New Speaker & Company Co-Founded by Andrew Jones
For Axpona 2026, Andrew Jones and his partners Jamie and Bill Cerreta will debut a new Jones-designed low-slung floorstanding speaker that features a field coil concentric driver.
Album of the Week
Album of the Week: She Came Through The Window To Stand By The Door by Natalia Beylis and Eimear Reidy
I have WPRB (103.3 on your FM dial) to thank for introducing me to another powerful intoxicating minimal mesmerizing record.
Amplifier Reviews
Review: Enleum AMP-54R Integrated Amplifier
Form and fun(ction).
Axpona 2026
Axpona 2026: Peak Consult & Orpheus Lab
I am particularly interested in reacquainting myself with the sounds of the Peak Consult speakers as it’s been a good long while.
Axpona 2026
Axpona 2026: Just Two Weeks and a Day Away!
With Axpona kicking off in just 15 days, it’s just about time to head to the airport and get in line.
HiFi Thoughts
In Listening We Trust or Don’t Let Good Measurements Scare You
Audiophiles, and I consider myself one, are funny.
In Barn for Review
In Barn for Review: Devialet Astra Opéra de Paris Integrated Amplifier System
The Opéra de Paris edition of the Devialet Astra integrated amp finds its chassis—which is carved from a single block of anodized aluminum—covered in 23-carat golf leaf that’s been laser engraved, brushed, and shot peened.
Album of the Week
Album of the Week: Kin by KMRU
Bear with me—the river Styx flowed through Homer’s Iliad, Virgil’s Aeneid, and Dante’s Inferno and in each case it flowed deep underground and formed a boundary between this world and some other much less pleasant place.
Music News
2025 RIAA Report Shows Record High Music Revenue of $11.5B with Vinyl Pushing Past $1B
According to the Recording Industry Association of America’s 2025 Year End Revenue Report, total recorded music sales in the U.S. hit an all-time high of $11.5B.
HiFi News
Rotel’s New Michi Prestige Series X430 Integrated Amp & Q430 CD Player Hit North America
I’ve long admired Rotel’s beefy Michi line of electronics, alas from afar. The recently announced Prestige Series brings Michi quality to a lower price point with the X430 Integrated Amp & Q430 CD Player.
Road Tours
DeVore Fidelity x BEK Hifi: An Event
Truth be told, I don’t get out much and as the Kronos Quartet pointed out back in 1988, Winter Was Hard.
Album of the Week
Album of the Week: Second Circle The Horizon by Sally Anne Morgan
One of the things I really dislike about genres is they can lead some people to believe they know more than know. Just as some audiophiles believe they can judge sound from a photo.
The Short List
The Short List: Favorite Digital (March 2026)
I struggle with lists. Seems to me, they’re either too short or too long and rarely, if ever, are they just right.