Are You “Vinyl” by Nature?
I was sitting around on a Saturday morning playing records with my son who had got some new fresh copies in during the week and the phone rang. Geoff Haynes says “hey I just got a boxed set of Rolling Stones, just arrived from Greville Street Records, can’t wait to...
A Proper DAC Shoot Out!
This adventure started with simple intentions… Let’s listen to all of the DACs that we have in stock and compare how they sound. Part of our motivation was to have the EMM Labs vs Ypsilon experience, both being among the very best cost-no-object options available to audiophiles. The other...
Speaker Technology has come a VERY long way
If we carefully considered the goal of turning an electrical signal into sound waves that energise a room and create an illusion of a real, cohesive, dynamic, live musical performance… I think we would develop a healthy admiration for loudspeaker designers. Yikes, they have a tough job! There are countless...
Tube Rolling With Friends
Have you ever gone tube rolling? Sounds a bit naughty, but it’s actually a lot of fun! Recently we took delivery of a great sounding integrated amplifier from California, an Aesthetix Mimas. After running it in, we enjoyed playing it with various combinations of sources & speakers, gaining a greater appreciation...
X-Ray Audio & Bone Music
This is a true story of how music has an incredible ability to transcend borders and cultures. What lengths will music lovers go to get their ‘fix’? Have you got any “bootlegs” in your music collection? Have friends ever commented “how can you listen to that bootleg? It’s terrible quality audio!” Listening to...
How do you evaluate sound quality?
What is great sound quality to you? Is it defined by a set of measurements or by how it makes you feel? Or both? When you sit in front of a hi-fi system to listen to music, at some point you decide if the sound appeals to you and...
What is Imaging and Soundstage?
If you have an interest in achieving an enjoyable sound in your listening space, then you’ve probably heard of the terms ‘imaging’ and ‘soundstage’ a lot. But what do these terms actually mean and why is there so much conversation around them? Imaging and soundstage are generally used to define...
Cable Controversy – Part 1
I am shocked that there are audiophiles out there who still claim that cables do not make a difference to the sound. Such profanity! Blasphemy! Sacrilege! As I relaxed on my psychologist’s couch, she looked up at me over the top of the frames of her glasses with a concerned expression and...
Yuko Mabuchi Trio and Branford Marsalis Quartet great jazz ushered in the New Year in Orange County.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa produces one of the most important jazz series in the country. I drove up from my home near San Diego to attend the Yuko Mabuchi Trio/Branford Marsalis Quartet performances on January 25th in the 1800 seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert...
Time Travel with Miles Davis
“I don't always listen to the Cult, but when I do, SO DO THE NEIGHBOURS....” Some music is meant to be played loud. Ear splitting bone crunching loud. So you feel it in your chest. A friend asked me recently which concert in my entire life stopped me in my tracks...
Why you should consider buying non-mainstream brands
One day in Europe back in the early 80’s, a speaker designer started making some speakers that were immediately applauded for their sonic ability. Possessing a rare ability to voice a speaker and extraordinary craftmanship skills, his speakers were captivating to listen to and distinctively designed. I remember seeing...
Emotional connection is important to me
Have you got someone in your life, whom you know that when they recommend a movie to watch, you make sure that you NEVER see that movie? I do. Actually, I have few of those people in my life, but I won’t mention any of them here. Forget ignorance......
Does more expensive mean better sound?
This old chestnut comes up in conversations among audiophiles from time to time. We’ve all heard the expression “you get what you pay for”, but does it apply to audio? It’s such a subjective hobby that there is no absolute truth and everyone has their own opinion which is...
What’s your audiophile tribe?
There is no ‘absolute truth’ in audio, just perspective. The appreciation of sound quality is a purely subjective experience, meaning it is based on personal beliefs, tastes and opinions that are open to personal interpretation, not facts. This is one of the things I love about audio. It’s a pursuit...
Is your amplifier getting along with your speakers?
I was having breakfast with Rumen Artarski from Thrax Audio at a Munich show some time ago and I asked him the tongue-in-cheek question about what defines a perfect amplifier. He mentioned that the challenge for an amplifier designer was NOT to make the ‘perfect’ amplifier. Many designers are...
System Synergy and ‘The Holy Trinity’
If you want to set up your audio system for optimum sound, there’s one aspect that I believe is absolutely critical: System synergy. I think it’s fair to say that generally speaking, every piece of audio equipment tends to have its own sound. Across the spectrum of what’s available in the...
Are you on the Equipment Merry-Go-Round?
After speaking with so many audiophiles and music enthusiasts over the years, I am confident in saying that everyone just wants to achieve a great sound – to experience their music collection through a system that presents it in the most enjoyable way for them. However, I have noticed that...
Why bother with High-End Audio?
From time to time when I’m discussing music and audio with people, I hear a commonly used line that high-end audio equipment recreates the sound and dynamics of an original musical event in your home. I have come to believe that this is a complete misconception. Does a hi-fi...
Would you arrange your music autobiographically?
If you are a ‘serious music head’, you may be familiar with the movie ‘High Fidelity’. In the movie, Rob (John Cusack) is the owner of a failing record store in Chicago, where he sells music only on vinyl at a time when CD had taken over the world. Although...
Are you your playlist?
If you were asked to list your top 10 songs or pieces of music, how would you go about it? Could you even decide on a definitive list? I heard someone once say that a person’s essence can be boiled down to a playlist - that when it comes...
Our visit to Knox Audio
Is the 6th January too early to have a ‘highlight of the year’? Aren’t we supposed to be easing into the new year, still in denial about having already broken our new year resolutions, taking it easy? Not gallivanting around the country having audio ‘wow’ moments, right? Well I am...
What makes Cessaro horn speakers different to ALL other horn speakers?
I used to have a love/hate relationship with horn speakers. The usual descriptions people use to describe horns ...’speed, clarity, lack of distortion, dynamics...’ are pretty accurate but beyond the audiophile language, I feel there’s just something amazing about how a horn speaker charges the air in a room....
‘How’ do you listen to music?
Visiting a friend recently, I bought some records over and later in the evening, we sat down and spun some vinyl. I sunk back into the sofa and closed my eyes as the music started to wash over me, really enjoying the feeling of letting the music take me...
Help! I married an audiophile.
The definition of ‘phile’ according to google is ‘denoting a person or thing having a fondness for a specified thing’ You would have thought that maybe I would have known from the very first time I walked into his apartment and saw a full floor to ceiling wall of records neatly...
You want a Koetsu for what?
One of the great benefits of this hobby is that it introduces you to interesting people. Looking back at my life, I feel that I’ve met some of my closest friends through some sort of association based on our mutual love of music. I also cherish meeting every one...
My Alanis Morissette Moment
In October 2019 during a trip to the USA, I had the pleasure of visiting Brian Ackerman of Aaudio Imports in Denver. I had previously met Brian at the Munich High End show earlier in the year and we had enjoyed each other’s company so when he invited me...
When did you realise that you are ‘an audiophile’?
I really don’t like that word. It sounds like a condition, an abnormal affliction. What’s wrong with you? Oh I apologise… you see, I have audiophilia. I prefer to call myself a music lover but there have been moments in my life where the importance of the sound quality...