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Shanling’s EC Zero T lands in the U.S. with a proprietary R2R DAC, dual tube output, and CD ripping—blending hi-fi nostalgia with cutting-edge portable design.
The power of music & audio
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Jonson Lee finds this year’s SoCal T.H.E. Show more varied than ever, with standout rooms from Legacy, Audio Note, and Rockport—plus a surprising mix of excellence from Popori, Boenicke, and SVS.
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In the first of two articles, Jeff Weiner tracks how late-’60s rock giants like Clapton, Beck, and Page resurrected early blues legends, transforming Skip James and Robert Johnson into classic rock staples.
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Amid riverside charm and cold cuts, Robert Schryer tests ArtistCloner’s $11K Mini Ether, revealing near-Ether-level imaging, timbral precision, and emotional pull—plus an unexpected cameo from YouTuber “Dave Listens to HiFi.”
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Mitsubishi’s Diatone D-160, a 1.5-ton subwoofer from the 1980s, defied all logic with a 63-inch carbon-fiber cone and a 400-kilogram field coil, turning every note into a seismic event.
The Music Column, presented by
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With AXPONA 2025 safely in the past, it’s time to hop back into the listening room with some records.
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Adelaide shed its prim image in 1964 as 300,000 fans greeted the Beatles—spurred by DJ Bob Francis’s petition—in a frenzy so wild even Lennon called it their best reception ever.
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Writer Rudy Radelic shares his observations at this year’s packed AXPONA.
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In Montreal 1969, John and Yoko staged a week-long Bed-In, blending absurdity and activism to birth “Give Peace a Chance”—a protest wrapped in pajamas, incense, and media frenzy.
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Jonson Lee finds this year’s SoCal T.H.E. Show more varied than ever, with standout rooms from Legacy, Audio Note, and Rockport—plus a surprising mix of excellence from Popori, Boenicke, and SVS.
-
-
In the first of two articles, Jeff Weiner tracks how late-’60s rock giants like Clapton, Beck, and Page resurrected early blues legends, transforming Skip James and Robert Johnson into classic rock staples.
-
Amid riverside charm and cold cuts, Robert Schryer tests ArtistCloner’s $11K Mini Ether, revealing near-Ether-level imaging, timbral precision, and emotional pull—plus an unexpected cameo from YouTuber “Dave Listens to HiFi.”
-
Mitsubishi’s Diatone D-160, a 1.5-ton subwoofer from the 1980s, defied all logic with a 63-inch carbon-fiber cone and a 400-kilogram field coil, turning every note into a seismic event.
Hybrid Tube/Solid State Shanling EC Zero T Portable CD Player Emphasizes Outstanding Sonics and User-Friendly Industrial Design
Shanling’s EC Zero T lands in the U.S. with a proprietary R2R DAC, dual tube output, and CD ripping—blending hi-fi nostalgia with cutting-edge portable design…
Clair-Obscur for Your Ears: Advance Paris Paints With Sound
Advance Paris blends retro flair with cutting-edge tech across its hi-fi lineup, as the French brand—backed by Tri-Cell—brings its stylish, high-performance gear to North America…
Seven Decades of Marantz Magic, Culminating in the AV 20 Masterstroke
Marantz’s AV 20 channels 70 years of audio legacy into a 13.4-channel processor, blending analog soul with modern tech—and a Sound Master’s ear—for cinema that sings…
Review: Schiit Magni Unity and HIFIMAN Arya Stealth. High-End Sound For Less.
Doug Moore puts the Schiit Magni Unity headphone amplifier and HIFIMAN Arya Stealth headphones through their paces and comes out with some interesting observations.
AI Achieves Sonic Perfection by Identifying Humans as the Primary Source of Acoustic Contamination
In a chilling twist, Audion Prime deems humans the flaw in acoustic perfection—locking them out to preserve pure sound. Sonic nirvana is achieved, but no one is left to hear it.
T.H.E. Lone Star Audio Fest 2025—The Biggest Little Audio Show in Texas
Writer Mike Harkins searches for audio gems at the Lone Star Audio Fest 2025 and digs up a saddlebag full of them.
Active Speakers—The Second Wave, by Bruno Putzeys, Part 2 of 2
Bruno Putzeys concludes his two-part series that explains why active speakers are inherently better than passive ones.
Eon Art: At the Summit of Audio Excellence
Stéphane Hautcoeur’s Eon Art blends class-A purity with class-D power in modular, upgradeable amps—rejecting separates to preserve signal integrity and maximum linearity through science, not myth, with their flagship Hadron leading a bold push into the high-end market.
Active Speakers—The Second Wave, by Bruno Putzeys, Part 1 of 2
What can active speakers do that passive ones can’t? Impulse response, impulse response, impulse response, says Bruno Putzeys. That, and their sheer practicality, makes them the wave of the future.
Do Blind Listening Tests Work? My Sessions with the Colorado Audio Society
Ten listeners, two DACs, one question: could they hear a difference? Steven Stone’s single-blind test pits a $2150 DAC against a $500 one—with surprising results.
Burmester, Beer, and Passion Audio
At Passion Audio’s Burmester launch event, Robert Schryer hears the new 232 amp paired with LampizatOr and Wolf von Langa gear—describing the sound as transparent, dynamic, and musically intoxicating, with Nick Cave sealing the night.
Review: Schiit Magni Unity and HIFIMAN Arya Stealth. High-End Sound For Less.
Doug Moore puts the Schiit Magni Unity headphone amplifier and HIFIMAN Arya Stealth headphones through their paces and comes out with some interesting observations.
AI Achieves Sonic Perfection by Identifying Humans as the Primary Source of Acoustic Contamination
In a chilling twist, Audion Prime deems humans the flaw in acoustic perfection—locking them out to preserve pure sound. Sonic nirvana is achieved, but no one is left to hear it.
T.H.E. Lone Star Audio Fest 2025—The Biggest Little Audio Show in Texas
Writer Mike Harkins searches for audio gems at the Lone Star Audio Fest 2025 and digs up a saddlebag full of them.
Active Speakers—The Second Wave, by Bruno Putzeys, Part 2 of 2
Bruno Putzeys concludes his two-part series that explains why active speakers are inherently better than passive ones.
