Rogue Audio of Pennsylvania makes some of the finest tube audio gear on the market. The musical performance challenges the most pricey gear out there. Owner/operator Mark O’Brien is a bit of a throw back to the good old days where the owner/designer ran the show. With almost everyone else these days, the brand name has been sold to a hedge fund…

Bryston A110: $2300 For An Amazing Speaker Array! Two grand is a popular price point in the speaker market. What’s the best value for about $2k? Let’s up the ante a little bit because $2300 gets you into a WHOLE NEW WORLD for just a little more money. The majority of offerings in this range are Chinese imports. Most are flimsy, booming…

Rega Planar 2 Turntable $895 Price includes Ortofon Red MM Cartridge If you’ve done some home work on record playing machines I’m betting the name Rega isn’t new to you. Rega is a family owned company that still makes its turntables in the UK. There are distinct advantages to giving a rip about how you make mechanical devices. That… is what separates…

When I read hi-fi magazines I usually blow right past reviews of uber expensive equipment. I don’t really care what’s going on with gear that nobody can afford. I made an exception this weekend when the beautiful Sonus Faber Amati G 5 was reviewed in the Brit Hi-Fi News (Aug ‘23). Amati G5 at $36k per pair is gorgeous. I don’t sell…

Bryston: Accuracy Over Preference

What’s a great full range speaker system for $2090? They’re made in N America, not China. They’re made in their own house, not by a job house half way around the world. They’re made with drivers made by themselves, they’re not buying drivers from a vendor. The speakers I’m describing are Bryston Tiny A stand mount speakers, augmented by a JL Audio…

Evgeni Kissin, Piano Beethoven wrote prolifically for the piano. His sonatas are multi-movement works that are simply unsurpassed. They’re the true red meat of piano music. Here’s a chance to hear one of the best pianists in the world, playing in some of the best recording halls in the world – on pianos that have been scrupulously prepared for the recording. This…

JL Audio Double Subs Most hi-fi guys know that it’s very tough to get tower speakers to produce bass as deep and powerful as a good subwoofer. Much less TWO good subwoofers. Bryston is among the very few speaker companies who can give you such prodigiously deep bass in a tower that you might think- well, I really don’t need a sub….

In an earlier post I guesstimated there must be 500 or more speaker makers out there. As I’ve done more research, I’m going to double that guesstimate! “Companies” range from a one man band in a basement or industrial park space to very sophisticated industrial operations. With a thousand or so entities to consider, how do you pick the one that’s right…

Bryston A1s vs Kef Reference 5 Meta Kef brags on its site, “The flagship model that all other high performance loudspeakers compare themselves against.” OK. Let’s compare. Kef Reference 5 Meta $22k Per Pair Built in UK, 5 year warranty 55.2h, 12.7w, 18.4d, 133 lbs, 4 ohms 1” Aluminum tweet, 5” Aluminum mid, Four 6.5” Aluminum woofs 40-35k +/- 3dB, SPL 88d…

Stereophile is the ugliest audio mag out there. But I still enjoy reading it for CONTENT. There are things to learn every month if you fight through the fine print. By ugly I mean, it always has tiny pictures and even tinier captions. I don’t need glasses to read. But with Stereophile, it’s GETTING CLOSE! Sometimes it’s hard to even be sure…

Bryston Active Impresses!