Harman Kardon 730

Harman Kardon 730

When I was graduating from high school in 1976, what I wanted most was a Harman Kardon 730, a pair of JBL L100s and a Technics SL1200 turntable.  That was my dream system. Read More ->


Gryphon Kalliope DAC - PREVIEW

Gryphon Kalliope DAC – PREVIEW We receive the magnificent Gryphon Kalliope DAC

Flemming Rassmussen builds some of the most technologically advanced audio components in the world and some of the most beautiful.  The casework, bathed in black with its fine extrusions only hint at the miracle inside. Read More ->


Octave HP700 Preamplifier - PREVIEW

Octave HP700 Preamplifier – PREVIEW Octave's Masterpiece Preamplifier

Some of you might freak out that the HP700 features tone controls, but Octave has included those and more in their flagship HP700 Preamplifier.  Like their Phonomodule we reviewed a couple of years ago, the HP700 takes a modular approach, offering a wide variety of phono modules, RCA and XLR input modules and RCA or balanced XLR output modules, allowing you to customize it to your system. Read More ->


GamuT M250i Mono Power Amplifiers

GamuT M250i Mono Power Amplifiers Mighty Monoblocks

It’s my turn to get in on all the GamuT fun. Our publisher has been using GamuT speakers for years now and managing editor Rob Johnson is smitten with the D3i preamplifier. Read More ->


Lightning Bolt

Lightning Bolt

For more than two decades, Lightning Bolt has embraced barely controlled chaos as a secret ingredient and ear-shredding volume as an invisible third member of the band. Read More ->


Blumenstein Audio 2.2-Channel Speaker Package

Blumenstein Audio 2.2-Channel Speaker Package The Orca Mini speakers paired with Dual Dungeness Max subwoofers

The modest-looking speakers from Blumenstein Audio belie the capabilities contained therein. We’ve reviewed the Seattle company’s Thrashers, speakers light on looks but heavy on ready-to-rock, garage-grade power. Read More ->


In Search of the Ultimate Listening Chair

In Search of the Ultimate Listening Chair

I’ll bet you have more than a few sets of great interconnects and power cords, but you probably don’t have a great listening chair. For the guys in the audience, this might be a good bonding experience to have with your wife or girlfriend. Read More ->


Issue 70

Issue 70

Features Old School: The Harmon Kardon 730 By Jeff Dorgay Personal Fidelity: Aurender Flow By John Darko Cardas EM5813 Ear Speakers By Mark Marcantonio 995: Arcam irDAC By Mark Marcantonio TONE Style Wino: Winter Whites By Monique Meadows Ortofon DS-1 Digital Scale Snap-on LED 2000 Work Light GIK Freestand Acoustic Panel RecordWall-it Hello Kitty Fruit Roll Ups Power Girl Music Live: Lloyd Cole plays Portland’s Alberta Rose Theater By Jeff Dorgay Spin the Black Circle: Reviews of new Pop/Rock and Country Albums By Bob Gendron, Andy Downing, Todd Martens, Chrissie Dickinson, and Aaron Cohen Jazz & Blues: Anouar Brahem, Jack DeJohnette, and Mahanthappa By Aaron Cohen and Jim Macnie Audiophile Pressings: Grateful Dead , and Two from Don Henley By Jeff Dorgay Gear Previews GamuT M2250i Mono Power Amps Dali Epicon 8 Speakers Octave HP 700 Preamplifier Wireworld Pulse Cables Naim Mu-So Gryphon Kalliope DAC Reviews Conrad-Johnson LP125sa+ Power Amplifier By Andre Marc GamuT D3i Dual Mono Preamplifier By Rob Johnson MOON by Simaudio Neo CD Transport By Mark Marcantonio EgglestonWorks Emma By Jeff Dorgay Glanz Tonearm By Richard H. Read More ->


Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit

Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit

Courtney Barnett makes it virtually impossible to listen to her outstanding full-length debut while doing something else. Forget about experiencing it as background noise, or even texting as it plays. Read More ->


OPPO HA-2 Headphone Amplifier Flyby

We just popped OPPO’s HA-2 headphone amplifier out of the box and it’s a beauty. Here’s a quick peek. Looking more like something Q would give James Bond to trounce an enemy than a piece of consumer electronic gear, the HA-2 goes a long way at upping the style points and decreasing the nerd points for portable audio, and that’s a wonderful thing. Read More ->


Hi-Fi Centre Grand Opening

Hi-Fi Centre Grand Opening

February 27, 2015 proved an unexpectedly warm and sunny day in Vancouver, Canada – the perfect foreshadowing for an equally stunning experience that evening at Hi-Fi Centre’s grand opening celebration. Read More ->


Another Day Another Time

Another Day Another Time

Initially trumpeted by critics as an Oscar contender and a thematic relative of the Oscar-winning directors/screenwriters’ smash O Brother Where Art Thou?, the Coen brothers’ 2013 film Inside Llewyn Davis failed to win over public interest. Read More ->