I read too much, I think that’s fairly clear. Which might explain why, when a fire alarm goes off in a crowded hotel anywhere near Chicago, my first thought isn’t “grease fire over at Gibsons”. ...

The Chicago AXPONA show was a bit of a gamble—as is any first show in a city—but this is one gamble that paid off. The Doubletree Hotel at O’Hare airport featured many fine-sounding exhibits, excellent ...

Apropos of nothing in particular, let’s change things up a bit: what do you know about analog tape? The answer in my case is a solid “not much” – but I’m learning. Why? Well, mainly ...

Not since 1994, when the Summer CES stopped camping out yearly along Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive, has the Windy City played annual host to a large high-end audio show. That situation will certainly ...

Chicago … in March. Really. Is it just me? Turns out, as my completely scientific survey of 5 randomly overheard conversations in a hotel elevator confirms, that there was quite a lot of head-scratching going ...

William Zane Johnson, God bless him, may be gone and his pathbreaking company, the Audio Research Corporation, may now be owned by an Italian holding company, but in spite of the loss of its founder ...

Audio reviewing tends to be a mostly solitary endeavor. But that’s not to say reviewers are anti-social. However, as much as TAS staffers like me would like to pay a colleague a visit to check ...

I was saddened to learn prior to the CES that David Manley, the progenitor of both VTL and Manley Labs, had passed away in late December after a long illness. A memorial gathering of friends ...

Aesthetix Rhea/Rhea Signature $4500/$7000 With three inputs, variable cartridge-loading—adjustable at the listening chair via remote control—and a front-panel display of gain and loading, the Rhea is the Swiss Army Knife of phonostages. Although it has ...

Until a review in this stupid magazine persuaded me to sell it and buy, sight unseen and sound unheard, a Marantz 500—which blew up the moment I plugged it in, before I’d heard a single ...

Odyssey Audio Khartago $795 Although the 130Wpc Odyssey Khartago solid-state stereo amp has been around for better than a decade, it was new to JV until amp- connoisseur Alon Wolf (of Magico) told him he ...

Apex, North Carolina - November 12, 2012 - The Hercules power amplifier is an ultra linear tube amplifier using EL34 output tubes to produce 30 watts per channel. Boasting premium components, it features a very ...

The 2012 edition of the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest revealed a well-oiled and established show, and one that has achieved a comfortable equilibrium of size and attendance. Frankly I was concerned how well it would ...

I don’t know if Nicolaus Copernicus was eating oxtail soup, looking at an apple falling from a tree, or cleaning his astrolabe when he thought up his theory of the revolution of celestial spheres, set ...

William Zane Johnson, God bless him, may be gone and his path-breaking company, the Audio Research Corporation, may now be owned by an Italian holding company, but in spite of the loss of its founder ...