The South Korea-based Aurender manufacturers high-end digital playback systems, several of which have been reviewed by Dagogo, including the $3,300 N100SC caching music server and streamer, the $16,500 A20 reference analog output network player, and the $13,750 N20 ultra high performance digital output network transport. The company established its reputation early on with its cache [...]| Dagogo
Introduction to Classic One MKIII Review: Having been an owner of the bridged Pathos Classic One MkII tube hybrid integrateds, I felt compelled to write of their virtues. The segment of the review dealing with the MkII version of this amp was a labor of love written approximately one year ago. I enjoy the Classic [...]| Dagogo
The initial article regarding my search for a new digital front end concluded with a recommendation of the Aurender A20 (see review) as an excellent choice for those wishing to obtain great sound for a streamlined HiFi featuring a digital front end. This past week I spoke with an older industry insider who a couple [...]| Dagogo
Latest Reviews & Commentary| Dagogo
A few months before the July 2019 California Audio Show, an attendee submitted a question in response to my rallying cry for questions to be directed to Dr. Roger West of Sound Lab at his anticipated seminar. The question was whether Sound Lab panels can be used in small rooms. During the well-attended Sound Lab [...]| Dagogo
Latest Reviews & Commentary| Dagogo
Introduction I recently sent my EMM Labs PRE back to the factory for an update, which involved a complete rebuild to match current specifications. Quite honestly, I really was at a loss to know what to expect. Amadeus, Ed Meitner’s son and production head, rightly recommended the upgrade. If you have seen my recent review [...]| Dagogo
Latest Reviews & Commentary| Dagogo
Latest Reviews & Commentary| Dagogo
Latest Reviews & Commentary| Dagogo
The primary characteristic of Sound Lab technology is its unique horizontal and vertical dispersions, ensuring that the listener is always on-axis whether standing or sitting. The curved panels perform optimally when toed-in completely rather than directed straight ahead. In contrast, the inherent horizontal and vertical dispersion characteristics of dynamic speakers restricts one’s listening position to [...]| Dagogo
Listening This side begins with Johnny Hodges taking us into ‘Prelude to a Kiss’ with one of his classic long, glissandos on the saxophone (sounding to me like something straight out of some black and white classic film noire).The sound of the saxophone with its low growl is incredibly lifelike. With the Lurne, sound is [...]| Dagogo
If you are anything like me, the acquisition of McIntosh and Sonus Faber by Bose Corporation was a shock. As a long-time audiophile and devout believer in maintaining the quality and standards of the Audio Specialty industry, this move was tantamount to seeing a cherished artisanal craft risk being absorbed into the world of mass [...]| Dagogo
Kudos to PS Audio for bravery Manufacturers are often quite sensitive about how much time is spent discussing competitors’ products in a review, understandably so. I have talked a fair bit about the Billie Amp Mk2, but for illustrative purposes. Fear not, PS Audio fans, the rest is about your favorite brand, and it performed [...]| Dagogo
Publisher’s note: Heaven 11 has notified us that the MK2 has been discontinued at the time of press, making way for the launch of the MK3 in February, 2025. Follow-up Review forthcoming. Here comes this curious integrated amp that I spied at AXPONA 2023 as it was playing through a pair of PAP Trio10 Heil [...]| Dagogo
Consequently, I spent much of my review listening focused on Redbook CDs, but also hit the SACD trail, with some happy results, as will be seen. So, let’s move forward with my listening notes: Listening (Redbook) This is an XRCD from the relatively early days, but a pleasant listen. It’s a cliche, but with the [...]| Dagogo
MAIN PAGE SHOW REPORTS Lobby Gold Ballroom: Sound Lab, Dr. Vinyl and MA Recordings | CAS 2024 Dr. Vinyl joins Sound Lab in Lobby Gold Ballroom Room 1120: Audience AV And Atma-Sphere | CAS 2024 Audience AV and Atma-Sphere in Room 1120 Room 1218: True Sound to represent Audio Note UK in [...]| Dagogo
To that end, the Magna Riser stands are sufficient, good enough for the task and finished nicely. This is all to say that VPE operates on a good quality, good value basis and not a cost-no-object basis. While the smoked acrylic baffle of the Crystal Dipole and the paper components of the Cube Audio F10 [...]| Dagogo
Digital Lens The Digital Lens is the other chief part of the PS Audio AirLens design, with an emphasis on treatment of the digital signal. From the above website: “Digital audio signals rely upon critical stability in timing to sound their best. Relying upon the clock in your computer or the clock inside of a [...]| Dagogo
SHOW REPORT 8/16/2024 Constantine Soo Colin King of Gestalt Audio and Joe Cohen of Lotus Group once again teamed up for a second year at CAS, and attendees were treated to another field-coil speaker system driven by a meticulously design and set up analog gig, featuring a new and improved Fuuga cartridge on a $30,000 [...]| Dagogo
P3 Tonmeister and Meishu Tonmeister have exactly the same valve complement and circuit incidentally… the P3 Tonmeister is effectively a ‘single input integrated’ version of the Meishu Tonmeister, with all of the extra inputs, switching, tape loop etc removed.” The P3 Tonmeister power amp gives you an upgrade path to use higher-end preamplifiers such as [...]| Dagogo
HighResHiFi, U.S. Distributor of FINAL Electrostatics, Netherlands will demonstrate all new electrostatic panel speaker line-up in both multichannel and stereo configurations. 2024 California Audio Show – Final (final-audio.com) System 1 – stereo & multichannel music audiophile: Final model 35 pair @ $27,000 BREAKING: Final to present it’s top of the range Model 35 at [...]| Dagogo
SHOW REPORT 8/14/2024 Constantine Soo The Audio Note UK room was presented by dealership True Sound, and it was packed just like last year. Lee Chen of True Sound counted 85 new visitors by Saturday afternoon! Many of them sat for an hour or longer. The AN-E/SPx Ltd field-coil speaker system, the star of the [...]| Dagogo
SHOW REPORT 8/12/2024 Constantine Soo Clarisys Audio debuted the Piccolo, its full-ribbon panel speakers with yet the smallest dimensions. On hand to walk us through the juicy tidbits of the desing was Ron Resnick of Audio Cafe, Beveryly Hills, CA. Electonics support were by Gary Leeds of WestminsterLab. Sitting at the center in the first [...]| Dagogo
SHOW REPORT Constantine Soo 8/8/24 Dr. Phil Ducote and Dan Rosca of cables manufacturer Audience AV demonstrated a pair of the latest version of the $4,000 ClairAudient 1+1 mini-monitors, now in version 5. On the 30-inch Skylan stands and driven by a pair of famed OTL tube amplification company Atma-Sphere’s latest class D monoblocks, coined [...]| Dagogo
SHOW REPORT Constantine Soo 8/8/24 Sound Lab was represented by its Japanese distributor, Christopher Stubbs of Sound Lab Electrostats Japan in the Lobby Gold Ballroom. He was joined by Jose Ramirez a.k.a. Dr. Vinyl, and Todd Garfinkle of MA Recordings. Two pairs of new Sound Lab panel speakers were positioned on a [...]| Dagogo
Note to the reader: In this article I am not claiming to have found a method in which affordable equipment performs at a SOTA level, but rather, a method of system building that has elevated my digital front end and offers flexibility to optimize any system I build and elevate the performance of speakers I [...]| Dagogo
Listening Notes: As usual, my comments are arranged by the piece of equipment under which the footer was placed and the music to which I was listening. RevOpods Preamplifier only: Bill Evans Trio, “Waltz for Debby”, XRCD VICJ-60141 (digital) With the RevOpodes replacing the Stillpoints, the bass sound is quite nice, my favorite [...]| Dagogo
I occasionally express my nostalgia in the hobby of audiophilia through acquisition of inoperative or nominally operative audio devices versus vintage stereo equipment. The nostalgia or vintage systems I have built did not have a performance level sufficient to inspire me to listen to them more than a day or two. I have found [...]| Dagogo
Extravagant When I was in Jamaica this past September on our church construction ministry trip, I was told repeatedly about the wonderful Jablum Blue Mountain Coffee, so I bought some. I was anticipating an extravagant coffee drinking experience. As I assessed it in the store, I thought the packaging of the 16 oz. bags with [...]| Dagogo
“Today will be a day long remembered. It has seen the death of Kenobi, and will soon see the end of the Rebellion.” – Darth Vader, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, 1977. It was on this pretext that the story of the second movie in the original Star Wars trilogy, Star [...]| Dagogo
Benchmark Media is known for its small-footprint digital-to-analog converters such as the discontinued DAC2 and current-production DAC3 series, as well as analog-to-digital converters. The AHB2 bridgeable stereo amplifier, a pair of which being the subject of this review, was first introduced in the fall of 2014, and was the topic of a recent discussion [...]| Dagogo
ROOMS 6 Rooms Updated: 7/18/2024 CAS Facebook page live streaming on Friday, 7/19/24 schedule at-a-glance: 10-10:15am: Sound Lab as represented by Sound Lab Elecrostat Japan, Dr. Vinyl, MA Recordings. 10:45-11am: Audio Cafe. System: Clarisys Piccolo ribbon speaker system, WestminsterLab REI pure class A monoblocks, WestminsterLab Quest preamp, WestminsterLab Autria Alloy cable system, LampizatOR DAC. 11:15-11:30pm: [...]| Dagogo
This past September I had the opportunity to attend the Nelson Pass Amp and Speaker Camp, which is held each year in Sebastopol, California. The camp has been going on for some years and has grown in popularity. This was my first time and I found it to be a fun day out. I don’t [...]| Dagogo
