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First impressions are mostly right, except when it comes to Magnepan speakers. On first audition, their sound may not grab you like that of conventional speakers. They’re certainly not flashy-sounding. But that is part of their allure. And it’s one reason why I’ve been living with Magnepan speakers for over 10 years. Mine is an…
How AGD Productions’ transistor-based tubes cast a spell on me.
Episode 26 In the history of hifi audio, there have been many more truly small companies than those that can be considered large for the industry. There are specific pros and cons to both, and in this episode of The Hifi Podcast, hosts Darren and Duncan discuss the topic at length. Small companies like Morrison…
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 Magnepan’s model 3.7i ($11,875/pair), which looked taller to me, and…
The fact is, your digital source player, computer or streamer is the first contact point between the music and your audio system. It’s your digital needle.
There are few guarantees in life but one I’ve come to expect is hearing great sound in Acora Acoustics’s room at an audio show.
Life is full of noise. Don’t you want less of it from your system?
“That made such a drastic difference. I put it through A/B tests with some of my buddies and my wife, and they were all flabbergasted by what it did.”
This may seem like a radically bold statement, but here goes: The choice of speakers accounts for 12.5% of the sound quality in your room. ‘How the heck did he get to that number?’, you may ask. That number is a half of a half of a half, a calculation I’ll explain soon. I’ve owned…
The number of amps I’ve owned in my home is 49. Some of them were back-breaking heavy. And since my listening room/attic is on the third floor and I’m a skinny guy with no muscles to show off, it wouldn’t have been possible for me to try out all these amps and subsequently write this…
I’m of the opinion that cable design is a thing, which is why some audio cables perform better than others, and you can’t convince me otherwise. I’ve heard the differences.
My setup has evolved over the last few years into one of the best I’ve ever heard anywhere, especially for one that hovers around the $50K mark, not an outlandish sum for a high-end setup.
Much younger, I used to listen to music without ever thinking about sound quality. It simply didn’t dawn on me that a better sound quality could translate into more elevated musical experiences. My younger self was purely a music lover and unaware of the importance of sound quality. As they say, you don’t know what…
I’ve been pursuing good sound quality for decades. Along the journey, I learned about various elements that make up a good audio system. And one important lesson I learned is this: Sometimes, those small, seemingly less important elements turn out to be game changers. In an audio system, we pay most of our attention to…
The human voice is an amazing thing. I can think of no other instrument that moves our emotions and soul as powerfully. The examples are endless: Freddie Mercury, Beyoncé, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby McFerrin, Luciano Pavarotti, Ariana Grande… Just take your pick. And it’s not just singers’ voices that we respond strongly to. How about the…