Tubes! Rogue Sphinx V3 Integrated Amp $1700 With Remote (5h, 17w, 15.5d, 25 lbs, 100×2 into 8 ohms. 200X2 into 4 ohms) One of my favorite integrated amps on the planet is the tube driven Rogue Sphinx V3 (Version 3). When Rogue went from V2 to V3, it incorporated some important changes that made it a much better performer. Rogue insists that…

Further Thoughts Regular readers of our site know that I’m an avid silver disc fan. If you want to stream or play vinyl, that’s fine with me too. But you likely have a collection of silver discs that you haven’t heard to their finest. First of all, what a concept! Buy a disc. Put it in a machine and hit play. It…

Perhaps the toughest task when producing an affordable loudspeaker is to achieve great BALANCE. Achieving warm, full bass at a reasonable price point ain’t easy! High Frequency Response It’s easy to get the high freq balance you want by using any number of tweeter designs- along with employing a plethora of crossover tools. Attaining great speed and transparency is challenging. But choosing…

Mains Conditioner: A Vital Component! (7-20-23) I’ve been in the audio hobby since 1970. I’ve had my own audio store since 1975. It’s only been in the last decade that Mains Conditioners have not only gotten better, but become indispensable components in a highly resolving music system. If you don’t clean up the line hash coming from your wall, the resolution of…

I stared reading The Absolute Sound with issue #1 in 1973. It was a wonderful addition to the hi-fi rags of the day as HP and his helpers introduced us to the sound of products well beyond the range of our local stores. Our locals were either poorly capitalized efforts by well meaning hobbyists or chains just interested in “shifting boxes.” In…

Bryston A1: $4990 Per Pair {47.5h, 9.25w, 17d, 71 lbs, 88 dB SPL, 4 ohms} They’re baaaaack! My fave sub $5k speakers are at long last back in the house. Covid 19 put Bryston behind the 8 ball as much as any company out there. After three long years of being at least 6 months behind on product delivery, Bryston is catching…

(13.5h, 8.5w, 8.25d, 90dB SPL, 8 ohms) To get more background on Bryston speakers please take a minute to read “Bryston Speakers”. The background story and speaker technology is described there. This entry is specific to the Tiny A. The warranty on all Bryston speakers is 20 years! Tiny A: Hot Off The Presses! Up until now, Bryston has only made 3-way…

More Bryston Speakers!

(3.325h, 17 or 19w, 11.53d, 10 lbs, Available in Black or Silver) I’m a huge CD fan. It’s still my favorite way to listen to music. You put the CD in the tray, hit play, and listen to music. It’s simple. It sounds great. No clicks and pops. There’s no time wasted with maintenance. I play albums all the way through. I’m…

Bryston 4B Cubed Still A Superstar

If anyone writes into hi-fi rags saying that advertising buys reviews, the mags refute that with anger. Yet what are we to deduce from reality? We see the same companies not only getting reviews, but garnering fawning reviews. Some of these reviews are accompanied by test measurements that show the product under review does not perform as presented by the company. The…

A Sight For Sore Eyes … Bryston speakers at Audio Emporium!

Magnepan MG 1.7i, $3000 Per Pair Shock of all shocks, Magnepan is catching up with providing us inventory! We actually have MG 1.7i in stock (black cloth/dark cherry wood) for the first time in… 3 years. C19 hit Magnepan as hard as any company. It was almost immediate in March of 2020, that Magnepan’s back orders became extreme. Orders of MG 1.7i,…

Bryston A1 Speakers $4990 Per Pair Walnut, Black, Boston Cherry, Walnut Expresso (47.5h, 9.25w, 17d, 71 lbs, 88dB, 4 ohms) Bryston’s A1 is my favorite tower on the market for the popular $5k per pair price point! There are hundreds of competitors at $5k. But none do everything that the Bryston A1 does. Before reading about A1 here, please take a minute…

B&W 703 $6000 Per Pair Made In China Efficiency B&W 703 Specs Claimed Vs Tests by British HiFi News (3/23 issue) B&W specs efficiency of 90 dB- It tested at 89, so pretty close. Impedance B&W specs impedance of 8 ohms- Nope, not even close. The 703’s Impedance tests – 2.9 ohms at 111Hz It is under 6 ohms 70-1.2k The EPDR…

Please don’t let these marvelous Maggies escape your attention as you consider new, or additional (!!) speakers. Maggies simply do some things better than any other speakers. If you would like a tall, wide and realistically deep soundstage with definition to die for, consider the MG 1.7i’s. Their bass is as taut and controlled as you can get. They’re ideal for a…