high-end-on-tour

The German High End Society organises the High End Show in Munich and spin-off local shows various towns in Germany. We visited one in Dortmund, not too far away from the Dutch border, to see what is on offer at the mini High End Show called High End on Tour. The show is held in […]

Ivan-Kursar-Cool-Gales-Bath-Audiofest-2013

Since its launch four years ago, the Bath Audiofest has grown to become one of the highlights of the high-end audio industry’s calendar. Organised by Ivan Kursar (above) of high-end audio specialist Cool Gales, it’s an opportunity for customers to meet the select group of high-end manufacturers that Cool Gales represents. Held across two venues […]

abyss

Abyss AB-1266Abyss Headphones is a US company with a rock’n’roll take on the panel headphone. The AB-1266 is a substantial, black, leather clad headphone with planar magnetic transducers ostensibly akin to those found in Magneplanar speakers, these sit in a steel and aluminium case with lambskin ear pads. Width adjustment is by a large bolt […]


Townshend-Excalibur

Townshend Audio Excalibur IIMax Townshend has gone right back to the beginning for this long awaited tonearm. The Excalibur II is essentially the original Cranfield Institute of Technology design, created at the same time as the first Rock turntable in 1979. It’s as different as one would hope with overhang adjustment via the base plate, […]

cake

Alistair Gardner owner of Signals described his first show as a vanity project celebrating Signals’ twenty years of business, joining other brands celebrating birthdays like Naim, Rega and Linn from the north of border.    NaimWorking clockwise from the bar that was plying visitors with coffee and celebratory cake we came to Salisbury’s finest crafters […]

Thoress 300B

Thöress 300B   Thöress Preamp, surely some relation to the TW-Acustic Phono   Werther's Original as found in the Brodmann Acoustics room   Velodyne vTrue   The Varios tweeters come flappers   The mighty Tannoy Canterbury GR   Soulution power amp power supply upgrade   Schuchtronic parallel tracking pivoted tonearm   Gamut founder Ole Lund […]


Brinkmann-Balance-2-arm

Brinkmann Balance two armGerman turntable maestro Helmut Brinkmann has added the option of a second armboard to his range topping Balance turntable. You can add different length arms as was the case in Munich or fit cartridges with alternative qualities. The Balance being used at the show had Brinkmann's 12.1 and 10.5 arms, one with […]

Living Voice Vox Olympian

Living Voice Vox Olympian & ElysiumLiving Voice has not taken the Vox Olympian to a show before so it was good to see and hear these fabulous speakers being appreciated by the audiophiles that flock to the High End. LV's founder Kevin Scott had brought the whole shooting match to ensure a decent result, including […]

Devialet-170

Devialet 110, 170, 240 & 500The Devialet range of software driven digital amplifiers has exploded from one model to four. The original D-Premier has become the Devialet 240 (240 watts, €12,900) and has been joined by a 500 watt dual mono range topper, Devialet 500, as well as two entry level models in slimmer casework. […]


Audio Research Ref Phono 10

Audio Research Reference Phono 10Audio Research revealed its first two-box phono stage the Reference Phono 10 ($30,000). Inspired by the success of the Anniversary preamplifier the company has taken its phono preamp to the ultimate by placing the power supply in a separate chassis and reaping what David ?? calls an "enormous performance improvement". It […]

DSC_2811

  Over a cold weekend in March Rotterdam was the place to be if you like your music on vinyl. There was not a CD in sight let alone a streaming device. The organisation added a little live music but every other tune was played direct from the record players at the show.   Audio […]

Astell-&-Kern

  Astell&Kern AK100 Astell&Kern has produced an audiophile ‘MP3 player’, that’s the wrong name because the AK100 plays FLAC and WAV files at up to 24/192 but what else do you call a pocket size music player that’s not an iPod? At £569 it’s not cheap but with a Wolfson WM8740 DAC, optical in and […]