Bass

Bass


  • TAF2023: Gershman Acoustics, Eon Art, Oracle Audio, Phasemation, Cardas

    Prices listed in CA$ except where otherwise noted. For the 30th anniversary of the companyโ€™s Black Swan loudspeaker, Gershman Acoustics unveiled their Black Swan 30th Anniversary Edition, in a striking white finish ($90,000). Changes over the regular Black Swan include refinements to the drivers. The bass driver also weighs more, which, at 66lbs (30kg), requires…

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  • TAF2023: Triangle, EverSolo, Perreaux, XLO, Tidal

    Prices listed in CA$. Something most of us can relate to is how important speaker placement is. When I entered retailer Elite Audioโ€™s room, it was immediately apparent the folks setting up this system knew how to position speakers in a difficult room. The speakers โ€” the chic-looking Triangle Magellan Cello 40th Anniversary Edition in…

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  • TAF2023: Gold Note, Elipson, Tri-Art, Lumin, Synergistic Research, Audio Note

    Prices listed in CA$. Every time Iโ€™ve visited Altitudo Audioโ€™s room at a show, Iโ€™ve always been met with a variety of hi-fi options I can listen to. This time was no different. Altitudo Audio โ€˜s Leonid Yamborko was presenting his bookshelf Elipson Legacy 3210ย speakers ($6500/pair), perched on Tri-Artโ€™s new 22โ€ณ-high P-Series stands in their…

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  • TAF2023: ArtistCloner

    Prices listed in CA$. ArtistCloner is a jack-of-all-trades hi-fi manufacturer. This relatively new brand builds something at all levels of a playback chain, from a source and power cables to speakers and cable risers. ArtistCloner was presenting the world launch of its mini Ether 2.5 loudspeaker ($8,999/pair), which stood next to the original, still-in-production Ether…

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  • TAF2023: Atoll Electronique, Final Audio, Atohm

    Prices listed in CA$. Many exhibitors at this yearโ€™s Toronto Audiofest were showcasing panel-style loudspeakers, including electronics manufacturer Atoll Electronique, who was presenting the North American launch of the companyโ€™s SDA300 Signature Streaming, DAC Amplifier ($6,999, and hence the SDA in the model name), paired with a pair of Final Audio Model 7 Hybrid electrostatic…

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  • TAF2023: Bowers & Wilkins, Classรฉ Audio, DR Acoustics

    First things first; I hadnโ€™t expected the Bowers & Wilkins / Classรฉ Audio room to smell as good as it did! A sweet mixture of herbal and fruity scents, perhaps? I can remember only a few rooms Iโ€™ve visited at shows that enveloped both my sense of smell and of hearing. The Bowers & Wilkins…

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  • TAF2023: Hegel, Magnepan, Analysis Plus

    Prices listed in CA$. The Hegel room was showing off its Viking CD player ($6000), on static display when I visited, and 308Wpc, dual mono, DAC-equipped H600 integrated amplifier ($15,000). The source was FLAC files streamed from a laptop hard drive, while the speakers were Magnepanโ€™s model 3.7i ($11,875/pair), which looked taller to me, and…

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  • TAF2023: American Sound, Audio Research, Rethm, Qobuz, Transparent Cable, AudioQuest

    I canโ€™t imagine bigger audio news this year than that of Audio Research filing for something akin to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Fearing that such an iconic company โ€“ one I always took for granted as being indestructible โ€“ might possibly go under and disappear from the audio landscape was disheartening and unsettling to me.…

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  • TAF2023: PSB Speaker, NAD, AudioQuest

    Prices listed are in CA$. You might assume that my mood darkened when a bass beat began pounding through my hotel room wall from the adjacent room while I was trying to concentrate on my writing, but it was the opposite. My mood was lifted. Swayed by the musicโ€™s tribal pulsations and sense of immediacy,…

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  • Artistry in Audio: 9 Strikingly Unique Speakers

    From the alien curves of B&Wโ€™s Nautilus to the surreal sculpture of Living Voiceโ€™s Vox Olympian, todayโ€™s boldest loudspeakers blur the line between high art and hi-fi, where acoustic perfection meets unapologetic eccentricity.

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  • Bluesound Node X

    Celebrating a decade of hi-res streaming, Bluesoundโ€™s Node X updates the iconic Node with a THX headphone amp, ESS Sabre DAC, and HDMI eARCโ€”earning high praise for its stellar BluOS interface and sub-ยฃ1000 performance.

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  • Simple Acoustics, Complicated Spouses

    Caught between honesty and harmony, Guild president Jim Tonne navigates tricky audio evaluations and acoustics advice with wit, a spectrum analyzer, and a firm belief in room treatmentโ€”despite the inevitable aesthetic compromises.

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  • Elvis Presley’s 1954 Opry Debut: A Pivotal Moment in Rock ‘n’ Roll History

    Elvis Presleyโ€™s 1954 Opry Debut remains an iconic moment in music history. While today we easily associate Elvis with his swiveling hips and captivating dulcet tones, the music world of 1954 did not immediately recognize the impending legend from Tupelo, Mississippi. Yet, on October 2nd of that year, he stepped onto the revered Grand Ole…

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  • Preparing Your Music and Stereo For the Fall-Winter  LISTENING Season

    With cooler months inviting longer listening sessions, this seasonal hi-fi checklistโ€”ranging from vinyl care and NAS backups to speaker tweaks and cable swapsโ€”offers practical tips to refresh your system and elevate your sound.

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  • From War Radios to World-Class Speakers: The Journey of KEF founder Raymond Cooke

    In the tumultuous world of 1925, Raymond Cooke was born, a spirit destined to echo through the annals of audio engineering. By the time the clouds of World War II gathered, young Cooke found himself thrust into the vast expanse of the Royal Navy. While the seaโ€™s mighty roars and the skiesโ€™ thunderous clashes became…

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