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  • Stepping Backwards to Move Forward in My Digital Streaming System

    “What Dalibor was asking me to do was remove nearly $8000 in equipment from my system, and replace it with a DAC only slightly larger than a deck of cards that retails for $150.”

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  • How to Correctly Integrate Subwoofers Into a Stereo System

    Music and the search for better sound reproduction have always been my passion. I realized, early on, that bass was a big part of what I liked about sound and critical for the music to elicit in me an emotional response. But to achieve ultimate bassโ€”the deepest, most solid, most seamless bassโ€”requires getting many things…

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  • Review: Yamaha NS-800A Loudspeaker

    The ported, two-way, CA$ 6000/pair standmount Yamaha NS-800A oozes qualityโ€”itโ€™s hefty, feels impeccably built, has a curvaceous body, and comes with big, robust binding posts that feel like iron door knockers between your fingers. It also comes in a beautiful black finish, said by Yamaha to be the same signature gloss finish used on the…

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  • โ€œNo, I have the best system in the world!โ€: An Audio Journey From Venezuela to The Laurentian Mountains

    “On a Mobile Fidelity version of Dire Straitsโ€™ Brothers in Arms, I heard a wealth of scintillating detail and instruments that popped out from the background with shape and aliveness.”

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  • Boombox Bonanza: The History and Evolution of Portable Music Players

    In a world dominated by smartphones and wireless earbuds, itโ€™s easy to forget the trailblazers of portable audio that paved the way. This journey through the history and evolution of portable music players is filled with innovation, cultural shifts, and technological marvels. Letโ€™s dive into the groovy history and evolution of portable music players, a…

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  • Review: Pylon Audio Diamond Monitor 18 mKII

    “Manufacturers of hi-fi equipment like to brag about their flagship products, but in any company’s product lineup, the key role is played by the models that simply sell best.”

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  • Deciphering a Stereoโ€™s Acoustical Measurements and Taking Corrective Actions

    In my previous article, entitled โ€œAnalyzing a Stereoโ€™s Frequency Response and Decay Timesโ€, I suggested measurement tips and the use of important variables to do with frequency response and decay times.ย This article begins with a measurement baseline of a 2-channel stereo with two subwoofers within a typical domestic living room (25โ€™ x 11.25โ€™ x 8โ€™)…

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  • Historians Baffled: Stonehenge Found to Be Worldโ€™s First Hi-Fi Setup

    Stonehenge, that iconic ring of monoliths, has baffled historians and archaeologists for centuries. Was it an ancient calendar? A druidic temple? A colossal game of rock-paper-scissors that got out of hand? Turns out, weโ€™ve been overthinking it. Stonehenge was the worldโ€™s first hi-fi setup, or as its creators dubbed it, โ€œSoundhenge.โ€ Yep, our ancient ancestors…

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  • The Vinyl Beat #1: The Mavericks, Horace Silver, War, Dr. John, Sponge

    The Vinyl Beat is a new column that will dig up notable vinyl nuggets, past and present.

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  • Is Class-D Technology About As Good As Itโ€™ll Ever Get?

    As an audiophile on a journey of perpetually better sound, I was left slightly disconcerted by class-D trailblazer Bruno Putzeysโ€™s assertion, in my previous class-D article, that, as he put it, well-done class-D amplification was now so good that โ€œthe amplifier part is basically a solved problemโ€. I understood the gist of what Bruno meant…

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  • Disco Demolition Night: The Day the Disco Ball Dropped

    July 12, 1979, started like any other summer evening at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The White Sox were set for a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. But as night fell, baseball fans, rock aficionados, and disco haters converged in what would become one of the most infamous promotions in sports historyโ€”Disco Demolition Night. Orchestrated by…

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  • Chi-Fi: The Harbinger of Doom, or Bringing High-End Sound to the Masses?

    “Iโ€™ve grown to appreciate not only how they function as a company, but also how they manage to produce such remarkably beautiful and functional products that are all essentially hand-built.”

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  • FiiO Launches a Transparent Portable Cassette Player

    The eye-catching player goes on sale this week at CA$ 149.49 / US$ 129 / ยฃ99. 2024 benefits include USB-C charging, 13-hour battery life and an all analog circuit for a enhanced yet classic sound. Calling all bandcamp fans!

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  • Bruce Springsteen on Clarence Clemons’ Shoulders

    On September 21, 1978, during Bruce Springsteenโ€™s โ€œDarkness on the Edge of Townโ€ tour, a memorable moment occurred at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey. This iconic night featured Bruce Springsteen riding on the shoulders of Clarence Clemons, an act that symbolized their profound camaraderie and the electrifying energy of their live performances. The…

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  • Magnat Signature Edelstein Loudspeakers Reviewed

    “Wonderful loudspeakers that deserve to be front and centre of a two-channel system. These are mini speakers with a massive sound and which represent something unusual in audio โ€“ genuine value for money.”

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