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

It’s a strange world. EMM Labs new Reference Preamplifier is called the PRE ($25k US). Their previous Reference Preamplifier, still available, is the PRE2 ($15k US). The PRE2 is the best sounding preamp I’ve had in my system prior to the arrival of the PRE. It’s as neutral and transparent as they come. Can the new PRE top that? Is it worth the 67% premium? The new PRE is a much more substantial animal than the PRE2. It measures 438mm x 400mm x 161mm (wdh) and weighs a substantial 17 READ MORE

Please welcome Khairul Faizi Mohammad to the NOVO High-End writing team! Khairul lives in a small town on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  His audio journey started in University during the early 90s with a humble “separate” system.  His quest for the ultimate sound began after spending countless hours in a Nottingham living room of a famous British horn loudspeaker designer.  Khairul is a newbie at writing formal audio component reviews but has been contributing his thoughts READ MORE