• Audio Research LS28 Vacuum Tube Pre-amplifier Review

    • 0

    Based in Plymouth Minnesota, Audio Research Corporation (ARC) was founded by Bill Johnson in 1970. Just shy of 50 years in business, ARC has accumulated a half-century’s worth of expertise in fabricating vacuum tube audio gear. All of their gear is proudly made in the USA. Assessed on reliability, sound quality, and value, Audio Research’s gear consistently ranks amongst the best. When NOVO asked if I’d review ARC’s new LS28 vacuum tube line stage, I almost twisted an ankle trying READ MORE

  • Furutech DSS-4.1 Speaker Cable Review

    • 0

    Japan… land of the rising HiFi. When one thinks of Japanese cultural symbols, thoughts of drift cars, pachinko machines, portable music players, and Shinkansen bullet trains readily… ehm… drift through the mind. Japan is a detail-oriented country. No other society on earth can so happily obsess on making minor improvements to small items to invoke significant increases in overall performance -- especially with cars and electronics. Founded in April 1988, Japanese specialist parts an READ MORE

  • Synergistic Research High Frequency Transducers and Black Box Bass Tuning Device Reviews

    • 0

    An experienced audiophile friend of mine named Allan who knows the sound of my main 2-channel tube rig almost as well as I do recently visited my home. After listening to one of his favourite CDs, he asked: “Did you buy a new $20,000 pre-amp? “No.” I replied. “A new $10,000 tube DAC or upsampler?” “Nope… strike two.” “New speaker cables or interconnects?” “Nope.” “So… what did you do to make it sound like this?” “Like what…?” I asked, READ MORE

  • BIS Audio PowerBIS Maestro A/C Power Bar + AC20WG A/C Power Cord Review

    • 0

    Every great audio system starts with clean power delivery - that's why audiophiles pay close attention to power bar and power cable selection.  Our sister site NOVO just posted a review of the Canadian-made BIS Audio PowerBIS Maestro A/C Power Bar + AC20WG A/C Power Cord.  Written by Douglas Brown, this review is sure to make you laugh out loud... while learning about these excellent products :-) Read it here! READ MORE

  • Gold Note PH-10 Phono-Stage and Gold Note PSU-10 A/C Power Supply Review

    • 0

    Having recently reviewed Gold Note’s stunningly good sounding P-1000 solid state pre-amplifier, when NOVO asked if I’d like to review Gold Note’s PH-10 solid state phono stage ($1,500 USD) and PSU-10 upgrade A/C power supply ($1100 USD), I was more excited than Tom Cruise bouncing up and down on one of Oprah’s interview sofas. PH-10 Phono Stage: Based out of Firenze Italy, Gold Note are world renowned for fabricating high-end turntables, tonearms, cartridges, amplifiers, an READ MORE

  • Audeze LCD-4 Planar Magnetic Headphones Review

    • 0

    Oscar Wilde once stated: “I have simple tastes… I only like the best.” As a reviewer, I get to listen to a lot of gear and cabling that sounds as good as other products that already exist. Not better… but just as good. For a reference-caliber audiophile product to get my attention, it must sound better than anything I’ve ever auditioned. Stated succinctly, Audeze’s $3,995 USD LCD-4 is the best sounding pair of headphones I’ve ever heard. Product Description: The LCD-4 is Au READ MORE

  • 1877-Phono Zavfino Silver Dart Interconnects and Speaker Cables Review

    • 0

    When thinking about bargains, the statement “hell hath no fury like a woman who misses a 50% off designer shoe sale” readily springs to mind. And just like disobedient dogs who so instinctively enjoy chewing on haute couture footwear, getting value for money on audio gear and cabling comes just as innately to drooling audiophiles. In May 2017, I’d reviewed 1877-Phono’s Zavfino Silver Dart A/C power cords. Back then I’d concluded: “In my audio systems, the Silver Dart consis READ MORE

  • Sonic Qualities that Audiophiles & Audio Critics look for in High End 2-Channel Stereo Systems

    • 0

    A semi-profound simile used in 2-channel audiophile reviewer circles posits: “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” Said another way, English is a lousy language for describing how things sound. So how exactly do audio critics “describe” stereo sound? This article will provide some insight into the various sonic qualities that audiophiles want to hear from stereo systems and the various terms that audio reviewers use to describe sonic characteristics. The freque READ MORE

  • Product Review: Audio Sensibility Signature Speaker Cables

    • 0

    Ultra high-end speaker cable reviews tend to be a somewhat pointless exercise in splitting hairs. At $20,000 US, cable ‘A’ has slightly better PRaT and marginally better heft in the bass registers than cord ‘B’. Wire ‘C’ has a tad more mid-range bloom and slightly faster transient speed than cable ‘D’. Sinking into such hair-splitting nonsense over obscenely expensive wires doesn’t interest me. What does get my adrenaline flowing is when I hear cables that offer referenc READ MORE