Nobody says more, in less time, than Chopin. Nobody understood the piano better. Nobody is a better architect of music for this magnificent instrument, which provides a full orchestra of colors. Chopin has dozens of pieces that are short, yet they’re fully formed and mature. As I learned to play several of these through the tutelage of my eminently patient teacher, Marlene…

The smartest purchase in a streamer REMAINS the NAD Bluesound Node. The Bluesound has been the best streaming value for half a dozen years or more. It still is! NAD knows the young whippersnappers out there would like a cooler name than “The NAD Streamer.” Hence NAD has dubbed its streaming products Bluesound. Now, we old guys know all about NAD and…

Let’s suppose for a moment that you’re very happy with your music system. You spent time and money selecting everything you have. You’re pleased with each piece and like it as a system. Are you DONE? Of course not! I’m only slightly being a wise guy. It is very rare that we encounter a customer that has a complete, modern system. There…

Klipsch Forte 4 $4500 Per Pair (35.75h, 16.63w, 13”d, 72 lbs, 8 ohms, 99dB SPL) Klipsch has just updated its already venerable Forte loudspeaker. The changes include: The Forte 4 is a nice tweak up from its predecessor. The Mylar midrange driver and crossover bring your seat closer to the stage. You hear greater dynamics and less of the cabinet in this…

Hot off the presses from Sweden are the gorgeous sounding Moon River Integrated amps.

Marantz 30 Series Package Oh boy, oh boy, oh BOY! Marantz created an iconic 30 Series of gear in the 1970s. With a tip of that hat to those products, HOT off the presses is a NEW 30 SERIES of gear that is so smartly designed that I know you’re going to be as impressed as I am. This gear comes from…

Bryston BHA-1 Headphone Amp $2695 (2.75h, 17w, 12.25d, black or silver) Bryston’s BHA-1 does for headphones, what huge, Bryston monoblock amps do for speakers. Not only is BHA-1 stone cold quiet, but it makes any headphones start and stop like lightning. The speed and control of BHA-1 is as good as it gets. What you’ll find is, even modest headphones benefit from…

McIntosh XR-100 Speakers, $10,000 Per Pair (Red Walnut Gloss, Piano Black Gloss, Pear Maple: 51h, 8w, 18.5d, 69 lbs, 87dB SPL) McIntosh is known first and foremost for its world class power amps. They make so many variations that even we dealers can’t keep them all straight! Next in line, Mac is known for magnificent matching preamps, integrated amps and CD players/transports….

Leak Audio Leak is an iconic British brand of audio gear, founded 1934. Leak has introduced a short line of modern gear, in vintage clothing. You can use Leak with its lovely real walnut cabinet. Or, remove the cabinet for a classic STEEL look. Either way, you’re back in the 70s with contemporary performance! We get calls every week looking for vintage…

Rogue DragoN Tube Power Amp $4000 (300×2, 5.5h, 18w, 15d, 40 lbs) Enter the DragoN! DragoN (upper case N) is Rogue’s new, 300×2 tube power amp. Owner/designer Mark O’Brien has created cutting edge, innovative wrinkles with his fire breathing, yet tender sounding, edge of the art power amp. The design is dubbed tubeD by Rogue. DragoN combines the best of both worlds-…

Vintage gear sure looks cool. Classic looks are fun. But good performance, ah, NO. The problem with vintage gear is, that it’s OLD! So am I. I started selling audio gear in 1971 in college. The electronics of that era ran hot and broke frequently, even when new. The truth is, cool as it was, the gear we sold back in the…

Marantz SACD-30n $3000 While every format has its strengths and weaknesses, I still have to have a silver disc player. Ideally, that silver disc player would play SACDs as well as Red Book CDs. There is plenty of music on disc that I need, that I can’t get any other way. Marantz introduced a stunningly amazing player during Covid 19 ravaged 2020…

NAD M-33 $5000: 200×2 Integrated Amp With Built In Streamer NAD has been touting its new M-33 Integrated Amp. It’s now here and I can tell you it DOES live up to NAD’s BODACIOUS claims! M-33 can be the heart of an elaborate system, it can also be a “just add speakers” system- because of its on board streamer. The streamer is…

Kimber Kable, Hero Interconnects, Ultraplate RCAs or XLRs .5m $231, 1m $296, 1.5m $361, 2m $426 Kimber makes cables from modest to esoteric. The sweet spot for most of our customers is the iconic Kimber Hero. It is used in some of the highest end systems going, yet is still reasonably priced. Hero consists of a four wire, Varistrand, braided geometry, interlink…

Isotek Initium Power Cable $175 1.5m = 58.5 Inches (not available in custom lengths) We have been beating the drum hard for Isotek since we learned about it in 2015. Never before had I heard power components that IMPROVED your sound quality. We knew we needed surge protectors to save us from brown outs & storm spikes. But until 2015 I wasn’t…

NAD C-298 Power Amp: $2000 (185×2 or 620w monoblock) NAD has launched a new power amp with updated technology. NAD’s Hybrid Digital amps have been better than other D designs for a host of reasons, not the least of which is its use of an analog power supply. C-298 is a cut above in that it will use NAD’s new Purifi Eigentakt…