Twittering Machines

Portraits in HiFi: Blackie Pagano

November 5, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

Blackie Pagano, tube amp tech.

CAF 2018: Gamut, Pear, and Gaps

November 5, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

“See if you know who this is.” said Gamut‘s US distributor Michael Vamos as he put a record on the Pear Audio Kid Thomas turntable. Miles’y trumpet, ethereal keys, bowed double bass, over-driven harmonica. . .”What is this?” I thought to myself. I don’t know […]

CAF 2018: Mytek Wants To Sell You A Brooklyn Bridge

November 4, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

The streaming DAC strikes me as a very smart way to approach networked audio. What is a streaming DAC? A DAC with an Ethernet connection which allows you to play music from streaming services and your digital music library. Some streaming DACs, like Mytek’s new […]

Portraits in HiFi: Art Dudley

November 3, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

Art Dudley, Stereophile, Listener. When I was but a wee audiophile, my father, the audiophile, read Stereophile while I read Listener (he was an MSEE, I was a BA in Fine Art). Reading Art’s writing, and Herb Reichert’s, made me think I might like to […]

CAF 2018: KEF LSX, Color Me Impressed

November 2, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

Excitement is a terrible thing to waste. I just saw and heard the KEF LSX speakers ($1,099.99/pair) and ran across the street to my hotel to tell you about them. OK, I didn’t really run but I walked really fast.

#NewMusicFriday: November 2, 2018

November 2, 2018 Stephen Mejias

Each Friday, Stephen Mejias, AudioQuest’s Director of Communications and former Stereophile and Audiostream.com columnist, will browse through the many exciting albums released that day and select 15 worth a closer listen.

Album of the Week: Thom Yorke, Suspiria Soundtrack

October 31, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

Boo! I love scary movies and scary movie music, especially when its convincingly creepy. Bernard Hermann’s Psycho comes immediately to mind, as does Edward Artemiev’s soundtrack for Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker, Krzysztof Komeda’s Rosemary’s Baby, and Goblin’s work on the original / Dario Argento Suspiria. Thom […]

Capital Audiofest 2018: Here I Come

October 31, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

If I told you I wasn’t able to attend this year’s Capital Audiofest, never mind—I’ll be there with a few precious Polaroids left in my camera. Last year was the first year I attended CAF, while this year will be the first year I attend […]

Deerhunter Drops New Single

October 30, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

Songcraft can be a beautiful thing and Atlanta’s Deerhunter is capable of crafting and carrying a tune to surprising places. Their new single, “Death In Midsummer”, from their forthcoming album Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared? on 4AD, drives this point home.

I Slept in Hill House

October 29, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

The second horror film I watched as a child was called “The Haunting”. This was the 1963 film starring Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, and Russ Tamblyn. As with the first horror film I saw, “Horror Hotel” (or “The City of the Dead” as […]

“…and am even more stoked that between the sheets lies Road Tours”

October 26, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

Hey Michael- Not sure what took me so long to discover where you had landed after AudioStream- especially considering I was actively trying to figure it out- down to asking Stephan Mejias. Nonetheless, I’m stoked to see you resurrected TM and am even more stoked […]

Album of the Week: IDLES

October 26, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

Can we still say punk or post punk to convey subversive? I don’t know but I think not so I’ll call Bristol-based IDLES 2018 album Joy as an Act of Resistance hard-core (wink). High-energy machine-gun fire vocals backed by over driven guitar, bass, and drums. […]

Bandcamp Daily: Julia Holter

October 25, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

I’ve been a fan of Julia Holter’s work since 2012’s Ekstasis. She has a new record coming tomorrow, Aviary on Domino, so Bandcamp spent some time talking to and about Julia. It’s worth the read.

HiFiQA.com: A (nice) place to talk abouthifi

October 25, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

I have issues with somehifi forums. Namely, rudeness, personal attacks, off-topic rambling, and utter nonsense pretending to be the truth. When left unchecked, this kind of behavior can fester and infect a forum faster than you can say unmoderated. My friend John Darko and I […]

AI-Generated Portrait Sold at Auction for $432,500—43 Times Its Estimate

October 25, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

The first-ever original work of art created using artificial intelligence to come to auction, Portrait of Edmond de Belamy (2018), smashed expectations at Christie’s New York this morning when it was hammered down for $350,000 after a lively bidding war that lasted for more than six minutes. […]

In Barn: Schiit Bifrost Multibit DAC

October 24, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

Schiit Bifrost Multibit DAC ($599).

In the Desert: Holo Audio Azure Discrete 8 amp module headphone amplifier

October 23, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

[Editor’s Note: “In the Desert” is just like “In the Barn”, a post featuring gear that’s in for review with pricing, features, and specs, when available, only the person doing the reviewing in the Desert is Darren Henley] Holo Audio Azure Discrete 8 amp module […]

“…now when i type “t-w-i-t-t-e-r” into my browser, auto-fill takes me to a better place.”

October 22, 2018 Michael Lavorgna

Hi Michael—thanks for reviewing the Quad VA One. I’ve been intrigued by this piece for a while, and am considering it for a small, “retro” inspired system in my basement. Quad makes a pair of speakers that they sometimes market with the amp- i’d like […]