It was inevitable that another vacuum tube amplifier would make its way to my doorstep. Despite the naysayers, it is hard to deny the divine nature of tubes and the sound they produce. I know, I know. Solid state is superior and it’s possible to replicate the sound profile of vacuum tubes. I completely believe […]
Review | Luxman SQ-N150 Integrated Read More »
For the last two years, I’ve talked about a yearly advent calendar that my lovely wife puts together for me. We’re on the fifth year now and every year it’s been a wonderful replacement for normal gifts. To be honest, it suits me better anyways as I have a terrible habit of purchasing anything I
The 2021 Beer Enthusiast Advent Calendar Read More »
It’s not often these days that I hear (or see) an electronic component whose sound characteristics blow me away on first listen. And when they do, it’s usually a vacuum tube component like the Luxman SQ-N150. Whether or not that says something about solid state components is yet to be determined. I have an appreciation
State of the System | Luxman joins the fray Read More »
It’s not often that you listen to a speaker that truly blows you away. Not in the “how loud can it get” or “how low can you go” sense, but instead in that “I didn’t think that was possible sort of way. This is a speaker where the whole is indeed greater than the sum
Review | Philharmonic Audio BMR Tower Read More »
New in the system is the successor to my reference Audial S4 D/A Converter, aptly named the S5. While I never had a doubt that a newer model would, eventually, be released, I often considered the S4 as my reference converter and the last that I’d ever buy. Here I am though, listening to the
State Of The System | Audial S5 Read More »
When I think back on my last decade of musical enjoyment, I sometimes think about how much the room played an impact in the music I was hearing. Was it “huge”? Or was it rather insignificant? I think the answer is that it was a bit of both. I’ve had systems setup in rooms as
The Road To Room Treatment | Finale Read More »
Nearly six months ago I started this “project” of renovating a new media room in a new house. While I was unable to affect the the room’s dimensions, I could do something about the the sound profile. Incessant ringing, boom’iness, poor sound-staging… all of these problems were classic symptoms of a poorly treated room. Or
The Road To Room Treatment | Part 2 Read More »
I’ve heard it multiple times some of the best money spent on a serious stereo system is spent on the room itself. While it was always something that I knew about, it was never something I could act on. This was primarily due to two reasons; first, I didn’t have the room for it. And
The Road to Room Treatment | Part 1 Read More »
How often do you come away completely baffled by a piece of equipment that you’ve heard? Even with the number of components that I’ve had the pleasure of listening to, it happens a fair bit. That’s saying a lot, especially in this day and age where amplification technology has progressed to the point of being
Review | Audial Model A Read More »
The last few months have been quite challenging for me. As it turns out, moving into a new house is a lot of work and getting projects done has taken quite a bit of time away from this wonderful hobby. But here I am with a list of things I want to write about but
State Of The System | Philharmonic Audio BMR Tower Read More »
