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  • The Four Seasons: Vivaldi & Piazzolla Is My Favorite LP I’ve Ever Owned

    Seldom does an LPโ€™s visual presentation rival the artistry of its music. Having seen the orchestra this past weekend at the Maison Symphonique in Montrรฉal, where the album was recorded, I can attest that the quality of the recording matches the live presentation. In fact, the only thing thatโ€™s missing from the album is the…

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  • MAF 2024: Filtronique / Audiovector, Moon by Simaudio, Naim, AudioQuest

    Prices listed in CA$. This room looked more inviting to me than most other rooms I visited at the show. It looked like a private living room with plenty of space, so people waiting for a seat could just stroll around inside instead of waiting outside in the hallway, which was a relief. But itโ€™s…

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  • When Paris Met Tina

    In the whirlwind world of pop culture and high fashion, few images capture the essence of an era quite like Peter Lindberghโ€™s iconic photograph of Tina Turner in Paris, 1989. Dressed in the pinnacle of Haute Couture from that year, Tina Turner stands not just as a musical icon but as a timeless emblem of…

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  • Steven Stone’s Super Budget Components: Sabaj, Semibreve

    This roundup highlights three budget-priced componentsโ€”the Sabaj A20a amp, A20D DAC, and Semibreve DA50โ€”that defy expectations with reference-level sound, solid build, and serious value, proving hi-fi excellence doesnโ€™t have to cost a fortune.

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  • Tuning Into the Future: The Day KMPX-FM Redefined Radio

    In the electric haze of the 1960s, when tie-dye was more than a fashion statement and the air was thick with the promise of revolution, a seismic shift was happening in the heart of San Francisco. This was not just any cultural tremor, but a musical metamorphosis that would change the airwaves forever. On April…

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  • Streaming vs. Lossless: Understanding Audio Formats

    Lossless audio formats promise sonic purity in a world shaped by compression, and this deep dive examines everything from FLAC vs. ALAC to DSD and DACsโ€”unpacking the tools, myths, and tech behind high-fidelity digital music.

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  • Moon To Showcase New 891 Network Player/Preamplifier And 861 Power Amplifier At AXPONA

    April 4, 2024 (Montreal, Canada) โ€“ MOON will be showcasing an incredible reference system at this yearโ€™s Axpona. The new MOON 861 power amplifier and MOON 891 network player/preamplifier will make their US show debut and will combine with MOONโ€™s 810LP phono amp, 820S power supply, and a Clearaudio Concept Signature turntable to deliver an…

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  • Totem Acoustic introduces the LOON

    For nearly four decades, Totem Acoustic has been a world leader in combining the utmost in spatial restitution and maintaining an expansive, musically dynamic and involving sound field. This accurate, three-dimensional expansiveness and musical liquidity can be augmented via a smaller chassis design as we have proven through our storied history. The new Totemย LOONย as its…

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  • MAF 2024: Hegel, MoFi Electronics, AudioQuest

    Prices listed in CA$. Norway-based Hegel has been steadily gaining popularity with its great-sounding and elegantly-styled products. Of the two rooms they hosted at this yearโ€™s Montreal show, one presented a static display of several of the companyโ€™s successful products, while the other had an active demo that included a pair of MoFi SourcePoint 8…

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  • MAF 2024: Essentia Technology / Q Acoustics, Norma Audio, Wattson Audio, QED

    Prices listed in CA$. The two most common questions Essentia Technologyโ€™s Scott Pugh received from visitors who heard the distributorโ€™s demo when I was there were: 1) Is there a sub?, and, 2) Are the prices in US dollars? The answer to both was noโ€”no sub, and prices were in Canadian dollars. It was one…

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  • MAF 2024: Lenbrook Americas / PSB Speakers, NAD, IsoAcoustics, AudioQuest

    Prices listed in CA$. Filling up a humongous room is always a challenge for an audio system. And Lenbrookโ€™s was probably the largest room Iโ€™dย everย seen atย an audio show. The PSB Synchrony T800 Premium loudspeakers ($16,999/pr) looked tiny against the front wall even though they werenโ€™t small. They were placed so wide apart you could have…

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  • Bowers & Wilkins introduces the 700 S3 Signature

    “The new 702 S3 Signature floorstanding loudspeaker further refines and advances the already exceptional 702 S3, introducing all-new levels of insight and realism that put it in a class of its own.”

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  • From Halfway House to Vinyl Powerhouse: The Full Interview With Chad Kassem

    In this interview, Chad Kassem recounts his journey from a halfway house in Kansas to founding Acoustic Sounds, sharing how personal struggles, a passion for blues, and a relentless pursuit of quality helped revive vinylโ€™s prestige.

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  • MAF 2024: Heaven 11 Audio / PureAudioProject

    Prices listed in CA$. PureAudioProject speakers are offered through an interesting business model: the company sends you all the speaker parts and you assemble them. Itโ€™s a kit. But the speaker is an open-baffle design, so it costs less in parts than a conventional speaker, and since there are less parts, and they โ€œsnapโ€ into…

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  • MAF 2024: Motet / PMC, Accuphase, EverSolo, Kimber Kable

    Prices listed in CA$. Like in all the other rooms, the Motet room was playing music when I walked in. I waited to take the seat dead center and when I did, I slipped on my critical listening hat. Right after the song that was playing ended, as luck would have it, the next two…

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