If, by any chance, audio enthusiasts required further evidence of the generational shift that has fundamentally transformed the integrated amplifier segment, they need look no further than the Gold Note IS-1000. Whereas, once upon a ...

Warnes’ first album in 17 years reminds us how much this singular talent has been missed. A benediction about finding resilience in the face of personal misfortune and political uncertainty, it touches on themes of ...

Aesthetix Mimas Integrated Amplifier $7000 The Mimas is, to my way of thinking, an old musical soul, though at a glance you wouldn’t think so. Hip and striking in its clean precision machining and uncluttered ...

My first encounter with Shunyata Research products was about six years ago, in Issue 239, when I reviewed the company’s basic “starter system”—Venom PS8 power distributor, Venom Defender power conditioner, and Venom HC power cords. ...

I’m not proud to admit that I arrived a little late to the party for AC power conditioning. I was not a skeptic per se, but at the time I was so intent on assembling ...

Everyone loves a cliffhanger. And as I flew into Denver for RMAF’s latest installment I was about to find out how this one was going to shake out. Specifically, the change of venue, and the ...

What ignited your interest in the high end? Did it come from the music side or the electronics side? I was 8 years old when I started listening to my parents’ hi-fi system—a Lenco D75 ...

When you’re looking to fall in love, being practical is the last thing on your mind. And so it goes when shopping for a new high-end component. Let’s face it: We all want to be ...

What ignited your interest in the high end? It was in 1980 (I was 14 years old), when a new guy moved into our neighborhood. He was a full-time professional DJ and we’re still close ...

Tara Labs needs little introduction to these pages. Over the last twenty years the Oregon-based cable manufacturer has been delivering innovative Air Series products based on its sophisticated air-tube technology. Many will recall when Jon ...

What ignited your interest in the high end? Did it come from the music side, family, or the electronics side? I was fascinated by music and sound reproduction from an early age. At age two ...

Aesthetix Audio Corporation is the Southern California-based high-end electronics company revered for its bespoke tube and tube/hybrid electronics, many of which have been reviewed in these pages. Built to uncompromising standards, its components fall squarely ...

The Swedish-built I35 Prisma integrated amplifier, the latest model in Primare’s highly regarded 30 Series, exemplifies a new breed of integrated amp. Where once upon a time the integrated existed in a world apart from ...

Southern California has an audio show problem. It’s not new, and it’s not clear why. Perhaps it’s the slow-burn of internecine rivalries, sketchy venue selection and promotion (remember LAX?), or just plain bad luck. In ...

What ignited your interest in the high end? The music side or the electronics side? My interest in music has accompanied me since my early youth. I’ve always enjoyed listening to music and attending concerts ...