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 High-Performance
Audio Gear Reviews,
Music News, Show Reports, Articles & More!
29 Years Of Service To Music
Lovers.
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USA Department Of Justice Sues Live Nation / Ticketmaster
According to the Department Of Justice within the United States of
America, "Live Nation-Ticketmaster's Exclusionary Conduct and Dominance Across the Live Concert Ecosystem Harms Fans, Innovation, Artists, and Venues:
The Justice Department, along with 30 state and district attorneys general, filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Ticketmaster LLC (Live Nation-Ticketmaster) for monopolization and other unlawful conduct that thwarts competition in markets across the live entertainment industry. The lawsuit, which includes a request for structural relief, seeks to restore competition in the live concert industry, provide better choices at lower prices for fans, and open venue doors for working musicians and other performance
artists."
---> USA Department Of Justice Sues Live Nation / Ticketmaster.
Reference Recordings Brahms Reimagined Orchestrations
A new and very imaginative album from critically-acclaimed music label Reference Records,
Brahms Reimagined Orchestrations [RR-152] features three compositions by Johannes Brahms, in an outstanding interpretation from Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony. This very high-quality album features the first recording of American composer and Kansas City native Virgil Thomson's 1957 / 1958 orchestration of Brahms: Eleven Chorale Preludes for organ, op 122. It also features the wonderfully enchanting Black Swan, composer Bright Sheng's orchestration of the Brahms Intermezzo for solo piano, op. 118, No. 2, plus the beloved and spectacular Arnold Schoenberg orchestration of the Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, op.
25. Notes writer Ken Meltzer states: "Schoenberg's orchestration is a respectful and affectionate tribute by one great composer to another. It is also a beautiful and at times thrillingly entertaining piece.
And to the extent it presents both composers at their least inhibited, the
Brahms / Schoenberg Piano Quartet offers a valuable insight into the personalities of two of concert music's most influential
figures."
---> Reference Recordings Brahms Reimagined Orchestrations.
HIGH END 2024 At MOC Reaches New Heights
The High End Society's HIGH END 2024 high-end audiophile show in Munich reaches new heights with a total of 22,198 visitors during the four day event. While the visitor statistics were a touch above last years, with 11,237 trade visitors and was higher than public attendance numbers of 10,373 for the first time. Music enthusiasts
traveled from 108 nations to HIGH END 2024. There were 588 media representatives who
traveled to Munich to discover the latest in high-performance audio gear and immersive music. According to the show promoter, "The HIGH END 2024 saw overwhelming visitor traffic on the first public day, where visitor crowds were so large at times that sections of the atriums had to be temporarily cordoned off to prevent the aisles and rooms from being
overfilled." Space within the MOC covers more than 30,000 square meters in the four halls and three atriums, and HIGH END 2024 visitors experienced fantastic demonstrations of exclusive hi-tech audio and hi-fi
products.
---> HIGH END 2024 At MOC Reaches New Heights.
HIGH END 2024 At Munich's
M.O.C. Show Report (Updated 05/17)
From May
9th to 12th, 2024, the 41st HIGH END trade show in Munich will once again shine
a spotlight on luxurious premium music reproduction systems, inspiring listening enjoyment and exquisite audio technology.
HIGH END continues to be one of the most important marketplaces and trading rendezvous for the audio industry, with many international trade visitors from around the world.
Music lovers from over 90 countries visit Munich to discover high-performance audio industry trends, exchange views, learn the latest news, plus network and do business. For industry experts, audiophile enthusiasts, and music enthusiasts, the HIGH END four-day event in Munich will once again be a spectacular
event. It is the perfect place to establish business relationships, expand networks,
exchange ideas and experiences with other industry experts.
---> HIGH END 2024 AT Munich's M.O.C. Show
Report.
AXPONA 2024 Show Report
(Updated 05/21)
Audio Expo North
America (AXPONA) 2024 three-day experience featured a multitude of floors,
with a total of approximately 200 listening rooms. Special showcases include the
Expo Hall featuring The Record Fair, The Ear Gear Experience, and a variety of seminars. Whether you're a
very serious audiophile, a newcomer to high-end audio or simply a music lover, you found everything you need to immerse yourself in your favorite
sounds. The Ear Gear Experience is the place to go to find everything from open-back, closed-back, in-ear headphones and accessories, as well as cables DACs and players. You can also shop audio accessories, turntables, cables and more in the Expo Hall. Plus find new and vintage vinyl in AXPONA's own Record Fair.
---> AXPONA 2024 High-End Audio Show
Report.
Linkwitz LX521 Loudspeaker Review
I hope you have the opportunity to hear them.
Review By Rick Becker
It
is no accident the Linkwitz LX521 speaker eventually landed in my listening
room. It would have happened much sooner if I had not been so busy. The three Best
Rooms awards you may have seen in their ads have resulted from my very favorable
impressions at AXPONA (2022 and
2023) plus Capital
Audiofest. I've been a big fan of open baffle
speakers since my world premiere reviews of Tekton Designs' OB 4.5,
PureAudioProject's Trio 15 TB, and Treehaus Audiolab's Phantom of Luxury
speaker. Other major proponents of open baffle design include Nola and the
now-named Clayton Shaw Acoustic Lab. And more recently, Songer Audio on the West
Coast, plus a few I've likely missed. I don't normally read other writers' reviews of products I
review. For that matter, I pretty much focus on doing world premiere coverage,
but I wanted to get a first-hand listen to the Linkwitz in my own room.
--->
Linkwitz LX521 Loudspeaker Review.
Nagra Classic DAC II, PSU Power Supply, And VFS
Review
Bringing tears of joy when listening to special songs.
Review By
Tom Lyle
In January 2021, I was fortunate to review Nagra's
Tube DAC and Classic PSU power supply. In my review, I said that the
owners of this vacuum tube Hi-Res Audio DAC will be able to appreciate the "sonic glory"
of this "high-performance component." So, I was not surprised that the
Nagra Tube DAC and its PSU power supply were awarded Enjoy The Music.com's Best
Of 2021 Award. After I finished the review, I was not psyched to
return the $40,900 package consisting of the Nagra Tube DAC, Classic PSU power
supply, and VFS Classic base to the distributor. I was captivated by the sound
quality this digital front end contributed to my system. My reference DAC, an EMM
Labs DA2, is no slouch, but this Nagra Tube DAC package costs twice as much.
It was not twice as good as the EMM Labs converter; it doesn't work that way, but
the improvement in sound quality was significant. I jumped at the chance when I
was offered the subject of this review, the relatively new Nagra Classic DAC II
/ PSU / VFS combo.
--->
Nagra Classic DAC II, PSU Power Supply, And VFS Review.
Avantgarde Acoustic UNO SD Hornspeaker Review
The luckiest I've ever felt was when reviewing the UNO SD speakers.
Review By Tom Lyle
In the mid to late 1990s, I heard
a pair of Avantgarde Acoustic horn loudspeakers (hornspeaker) for the first time at a local high-end audio
showroom. I don’t remember the model of the speakers I was hearing, but I do
recall that they were powered by a pair of Single-Ended Triode (SET) monoblock
amplifiers. I assumed that these amps were a perfect match for these sensitive
speakers. Sadly, I was not impressed with what I heard that day. The
speaker's biggest sin was an exaggerated midrange, epitomizing the "cupped
hands" sound. Fast-forward to 2024, when I was offered a pair of Avantgarde
UNO SDs for review in Enjoy the Music.com. I was skeptical, fearing I
would experience something similar to what I had heard at that local dealer many
years ago. Before these speakers arrived, I shared my experience with
Avantgarde's North American distributor, American Sound of Canada, about my
experience with their horn speakers.
--->
Avantgarde Acoustic UNO SD Hornspeaker Review.
Aric Audio Super 300B SET Stereo Power Amplifier
Review
To 300B or not to 300B, that is the Question.
Review By Ric Mancuso
Aric
Kimball is an audio component designer and is a self-made audiophile. It is
seldom to come across an audio designer who has eluded the radar among the
audiophile community. His father somewhat inspired Aric to take a journey into
the audio universe. Aric told me that his dad owned a Pioneer Rack system back
in the 1970s that Aric had admired. Aric wanted to own one of his own. That
compass point ignited his passion for ultimately designing his gear — a big
step from the glitzy look of the Pioneer Rack system. I used to sell those in my
previous life as an audio salesperson. Oh, those meters! So, I asked Aric who his mentors were and what components were
his envy. He admitted to me that he had no mentors or any icons of audio that he
worshipped. Here are a few answers to some questions I asked about his audio
formative years.
--->
Aric Audio Super 300B SET Stereo Power Amplifier Review.
FiiO M17 Portable Desktop-Class Music Player Review
An organic-sounding high-resolution music streamer and Hi-Res Audio DAC.
Review By Tom Lyle
Being an
audiophile means that convenience isn't our number one goal. If you are anything
like me, I am an audiophile because I love music and want to hear recorded music
with the best sound quality possible. This is true even when I'm listening to
recorded music when not sitting in the sweet spot in front of my audio system.
This means listening through headphones, often using a portable digital audio
player (DAP). Until the technology advances so that a small Hi-Res Audio DAP sounds as good
as a large one, audiophiles will be listening to devices such as the FiiO M17. Like other top-tier
DAPs, the M17 is a rather large, heavy
digital audio player. It sports a plethora of features, some of which I found
useful and others I found no use for.
--->
FiiO M17 Portable Desktop-Class Music Player Review.
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