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Luxsin’s X9 arrives with unapologetic swagger, pairing flagship AKM chips with clever features like auto headphone gain and a 2,500-profile EQ library—marking a rare DAC-amp that might truly replace multiple high-end boxes.
The power of music & audio
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Sony’s Elcaset promised reel-to-reel fidelity in cassette form but flopped spectacularly, while PlayTape, Tefifon, and MiniDisc joined a graveyard of brilliant but doomed formats, crushed by cheaper, simpler, and more convenient rivals.
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PMA’s Michel Plante and Robert Schryer revisit Pascal Ravach’s remarkable audio journey, which began with a childhood accident that severely affected his eyesight, continued through a European consulting career, and culminated in founding Montreal’s Mutine, where Ravach’s Zen-inspired listening rooms champion synergy, natural sound, and holistic system harmony.
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Mutine’s Pascal Ravach shares his philosophy on how to listen—and how to find a system that helps you achieve the ultimate connection—with music, but also with life.
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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.
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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Sony’s Elcaset promised reel-to-reel fidelity in cassette form but flopped spectacularly, while PlayTape, Tefifon, and MiniDisc joined a graveyard of brilliant but doomed formats, crushed by cheaper, simpler, and more convenient rivals.
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PMA’s Michel Plante and Robert Schryer revisit Pascal Ravach’s remarkable audio journey, which began with a childhood accident that severely affected his eyesight, continued through a European consulting career, and culminated in founding Montreal’s Mutine, where Ravach’s Zen-inspired listening rooms champion synergy, natural sound, and holistic system harmony.
-
Mutine’s Pascal Ravach shares his philosophy on how to listen—and how to find a system that helps you achieve the ultimate connection—with music, but also with life.
-
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.
Luxsin X9: The Desktop DAC-Amp That’s Shamelessly Overqualified
Luxsin’s X9 arrives with unapologetic swagger, pairing flagship AKM chips with clever features like auto headphone gain and a 2,500-profile EQ library—marking a rare DAC-amp that might truly replace multiple high-end boxes…
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…
Blues History By Way of Classic Rock, Part One: The Yardbirds’ Legacy
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.
My Evening With ArtistCloner, the New Mini Ether, and Dave
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.”
One Giant Cone for Mankind: Meet the Diatone D-160, the Largest Subwoofer Ever Created
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.
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.
Blues History By Way of Classic Rock, Part One: The Yardbirds’ Legacy
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.
My Evening With ArtistCloner, the New Mini Ether, and Dave
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.”
One Giant Cone for Mankind: Meet the Diatone D-160, the Largest Subwoofer Ever Created
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.
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.
