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Audiophile Archives

The Latest, Dave’s Faves, and the AE Newsletter all in one:



Dave’s Faves – Axiom M80 Speakers

Axiom M80 Speakers $2300 Per Pair (39.5h, 9.25w, 17d, 63 lbs, 94dB SPL, 4 ohms, Walnut, Black, Boston Cherry) Bryston contracted Axiom to build its design brief of the Model T speaker in 2009. The success of that project built a fruitful relationship between the two companies and they merged. The resulting company is simply called Bryston. Bryston decided to recognize Axiom’s…

Dave’s Faves – Axiom M100 Speakers

Axiom M100 Speakers, $3000 Per Pair (47.5h, 9.25w, 17d, 81 lbs, 92dB, 4 ohms, Walnut, Black, Boston Cherry) Bryston contracted Axiom to build its design brief of the Model T speaker in 2009. The success of that project built a fruitful relationship between the two companies and they merged. The resulting company is simply called Bryston. Bryston decided to honor Axiom’s contribution…

Dave’s Faves – MS120 Streamer/DAC

Atoll MS120 Streamer/DAC, $1600 (3.7h, 12.6w, 8.27d) Atoll’s new MS120 Streamer/DAC is my favorite streaming device. It’s a Swiss army knife as well. Finally we have a GREAT Streamer/DAC that is enough better than a Bluesound that I’m happy to recommend it. I’ve enjoyed Bluesound Nodes as streamers. They work well with few hiccups. They work especially well when you run digital…

$2k Speaker Landscape

If you start shopping for speakers at this price point, you’ll probably Google, “Best Speakers for $2k.” What comes up? In alphabetical order the most common brands are: B&W, Dali, Fluance, GoldenEar, JBL, Kef, Martin Logan, Monitor Audio, Wharfedale. What do all of these have in common? They’re all made in China and have big advertising budgets. Most of these are made…

Integrated Amp Shootout At About $2k

It would be nice to get the top candidates lined up to do A/B comparisons, but it’s just not realistic. So how should you wisely shop for your new $2k ish integrated amp? Spend a few minutes learning what is under the hood. Performance doesn’t come down to magic and potions. You absolutely, positively CAN make sense out of how an amp…

Too Good!

Atoll 50 Series Package Atoll IN50 Integrated Amp, $1200 (50×2) Atoll’s great 50 Package starts with a price defying integrated amp. Literally everything else in this price strata is a Chinese bucket of chips and wire the size of dental floss. IN50 has a large toroidal transformer, generous power supply caps, MATCHED MOSFET output transistors- and is made in Atoll’s own house…

Horse Power

How much horse power do you need to drive your speakers well? Most of our customers read nonsense online that leads them to think they need X number of watts. Getting dynamic and exciting performance from your speakers boils down to control, not the wattage rating. Think of strong water pressure from a fire hose vs weaker water pressure from your garden…

04.2025

Bryston Mini T-10 Speakers, $6000 Per Pair {22.5h, 10.5w, 10d, 42 lbs, 4 ohms, 86 dB SPL} Bryston has just updated its venerable stand mount Mini T loudspeaker. Mini T has been a classic KICK FANNY work horse monitor for over a decade. While there are a myriad of upgrades, the most noticeable is the custom tapered midrange/tweeter diffraction plate. The plate…

Atoll Nuts And Bolts

Atoll absolutely steps away from its similarly priced competition in construction quality. These improvements are choices Atoll makes to attain superior sound and reliability. Virtually all competitors in Atoll’s price range are pumped out of job houses in China. They don’t use the same level of parts or clean, efficient layout. These Chinese built products don’t sound as good or last as…

Three Tiers of Cables

Cables matter in the sound of your system. You should get cables that are commensurate with your companion gear, or… perhaps go a step UP- knowing that your system will evolve as your wallet gets fatter. With this in mind let’s evaluate the three echelons of Kimber Kable that make sense, each hitting the law of diminishing returns for the price. Tier…

Tony Burrows

I have Sirius in the car and luv it for traveling to Barrington or Appleton most weekends to see grand kids. I mostly enjoy the wide variety of music that is available without commercials. Recently I was stuck on the 70s channel and heard several songs played back to back. “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) Edison Lighthouse “United We Stand” Brotherhood…