Best Sound The TAD Reference One loudspeaker in the Kimber/WBT demo room (with Bel Canto’s DAC3.5, the CD2 player transport, Virtual Battery Supply, Ref 500M monoblocks and all WBT terminated Kimber Kable) produced effortless orchestral ...

Best Sound The room of The Lotus Group, featuring the new Granada loudspeaker, bewitched me with its complete sense of ease and “un-hi-fi” sound. Other great sounds included the revolutionary Vandersteen Model 7, the Focal ...

This press release crossed my desk. I've heard a 7.1-channel Meridian system playing high-res DVD-A (and film soundtracks) and the experience is not to be missed. Meridian and Audio High Partner For Evening of Excellence ...

My beat at the sixth annual Rocky Mountain Audio Fest was upper-end preamplifiers and power amplifiers. This show started out as a showcase for ultra-expensive exotic gear, but as it shifted toward the mainstream, the ...

Here are a few odds 'n ends from the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest I’ve never had the inclination to perform A/B listening tests on binding posts, but a demo by WBT opened my eyes to ...

The most unusual product I saw at the show was a near-field listening chair from a new company called i-Fi. The chair incorporates small minimonitors mounted on the chair, electronics to drive them, a subwoofer, ...

Greatest Bargain at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest Frank Van Alstine has been making super-affordable high-performance gear for decades, but he might have outdone himself with the UltraValve, a 30Wpc stereo all-tube amplifier for just $1695. ...

In the large speaker ranks the name Nola needs little introduction. Open baffle designs like its Baby Grand always attract a great deal of interest. Music is reproduced on such a transparent and impactful scale ...

Friday mornings at Rocky Mountain tend to be the quietest as I begin my rounds, but I hit pay dirt right out of the chute. Norwegian electronics maker Hegel made quite a strong first impression ...

It has been a sad season for audio. Earlier this year the shocking news about David Steven of dCS, then we heard that Gordon died, then that Jim Thiel had tragically passed away at only ...

Some Thoughts on Jim Thiel I’m deeply saddened to report that Jim Thiel, founder of the loudspeaker company that bears his name, passed away on September 18 at the age of 62. Jim Thiel was ...

The year was 1987 and digital audio was still emerging unsteadily from its technological stone-age. The year was also noteworthy for the highly anticipated, first-ever release of the Beatles catalog on compact disc. Although the ...

Okay you’ve just blown your budget acquiring the stereo or mono (or both!!) box sets of the new Beatles Remasters. That’s a big bundle of discs that you’ve just added to your collection. Sure they ...

It’s been more than a couple years since I unboxed a Simaudio integrated amp. WG recently did their latest entry level i-1 gear and loved it and truth be told I kind of felt a ...

Here’s a question: What stereo amp generates 130Wpc into 8 ohms, is stable down to 2 ohms, has a bandwidth that extends to 400kHz, is capable of 40 amp swings, has a damping factor greater ...