DALI Zensor 1 loudspeaker
I thought I'd review the procedure I typically use to seek out affordable speakers for review as, in the case of the Denmark-designed DALI Zensor, made in the company's facility in China, there was a...
View ArticlePolk Audio RTi A3 loudspeaker
Back at home, I'd recently set up Polk Audio's RTi A3 loudspeakers ($399.95/pair), which, at 14.75" H by 8.58" W x 14" D, are by far the largest bookshelf models I've had in my listening room. Right...
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Halide Design DAC HD D/A converter
When it comes to getting audio from a PC via its USB port, the buzzword du jour is asynchronous. This cryptic term refers to which device has control over the timing of the audio data being streamed...
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PSB Imagine Mini loudspeaker
The first loudspeaker I heard from the Canadian company PSB was the Stratus, an affordably priced ($1400/pair), two-way tower with a soft-dome tweeter and an 8" woofer. The Stratus had benefited from...
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Emotiva X-Ref XRT-5.2 loudspeaker
We've all read about how bookstores, appliance stores, and other bricks-and-mortar retailers are suffering with the increasing domination of Internet sales. That got me thinking about audio dealers....
View ArticleThe Entry Level #20
It was another flawlessly beautiful spring morning, and I was in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, to help John Atkinson pack up the Lansche Audio 5.1 loudspeakers ($41,000/pair). John had only just completed his...
View ArticleMusical Fidelity V-DAC II D/A processor
There's so much uncertainty and confusion surrounding computer audio and high-resolution downloads. Which hi-rez formats will win out? How do you store the downloads you've bought? (Easy. Don't buy...
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Siefert Maxim III loudspeaker
While it is not quite accurate to say that $500/pair loudspeakers are a dime a dozen, they are by no means unusual. And since this is a price area where major design compromises are mandatory (footnote...
View ArticleDefinitive Technology StudioMonitor 45 loudspeaker
The Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 45 measures a very room- and back-friendly 11 11/16" (297mm) high by 6¾" (172mm) wide by 11 11/16" (297mm) deep, but these dimensions are attractive for reasons...
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AudioQuest DragonFly USB D/A converter
"This product is an industry disrupter." Thus spoke AudioQuest's Steve Silberman, VP of development, of their brand-new USB D/A converter, the DragonFly. "There are a lot of very good DACs out there,"...
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The Entry Level #22
The Tannoy Mercury V1 loudspeakers ($320/pair; see last month's column) were already carefully packed in their box, pushed into a corner of my messy kitchen, ready to go to John Atkinson for a...
View ArticleTannoy Mercury V1 loudspeaker
The last few decades have seen dramatic improvements in the art (and science) of loudspeaker design. Tannoy's budget-priced Mercury series is now in its fifth iteration. The two-way, front-ported...
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VPI Industries Traveler turntable
On May 21, 2008, five months after purchasing my very first turntable (a Rega Research P3-24), I decided that my obsession with LPs had grown to the extent that I could no longer function without a...
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Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 55 loudspeaker
Recently, I thought about all the audio shows I've attended over the last 27 years, looking for any pattern that all of them might have shared. I came up with a handful of audio manufacturers that...
View ArticleThe Entry Level #24
There are two things that don't have to mean anything; one is music and the other is laughter.Immanuel Kant We can dance until we die.Katy Perry I'd always figured I'd wind up with a girl who loved...
View ArticleDayton Audio B652 loudspeaker
I was ready to have some fun with Dayton Audio's B652 loudspeakersthe ones with the outrageously high price of $39.80/pair. Available from Parts Express (catalog #300-652), the Dayton B652 is a...
View ArticleAperion Verus Grand Bookshelf loudspeaker
I received a call from Aperion Audio, who wanted to know if was interested in reviewing their Verus Grand Bookshelf loudspeaker ($598/pair). I've had good experiences with speakers from this...
View ArticleThe Entry Level #25
There I was, sitting on the orange couch, with just a few hours to kill before my scheduled departure to Denver, ColoradoI'd been invited to the eighth annual Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, where surely...
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Peachtree Audio decco65 D/A integrated amplifier
Whether one was surprised, in 2010, by the success of Peachtree Audio's iDecco may have more to do with age than anything else. My peers and I wondered, at first, who would want their high-end...
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Peachtree Audio nova125 integrated amplifier
With Peachtree Audio's new nova125 integrated amplifier, most decisions are made for you. Need a DAC with three S/PDIF inputs (two coax, one optical)? An asynchronous USB DAC? A line stage? A tubed...
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