Atoll IN100, $2100, 100×2, Built in France, 3 year warranty Musical Fidelity A1, $1779, 25×2, Built in China, 2 year warranty A customer just stopped in shopping for an integrated amp. He has been reading about a Musical Fidelity he said is getting good press. The mags thinks it’s good because it’s class A. The customer wondered if we have anything as…

I want to point out a fabulous pairing of audio components- right there with peanut butter and jelly. This $6500 combo is an impeccable duo to get the most out of your speakers! A wonderful sounding music system needs a high performing amplifier at its heart. You want to drive your speakers with the equivalent of high water pressure to maintain taut…

I always love getting new hi-fi mags. Can’t wait to open them. Let’s see what’s up. *On the cover is a Goldmund power amp. I go to read about it on p102 and see it’s $89k. Now I don’t need to read about it. It’s fine with me if companies make expensive gear. They can spend all they want advertising it. It’s…

The Bryston BP-19 is a rock solid, audiophile preamp without a “house sound” imparted on your music which is major plus for many audiophiles.

Quality Control. Everyone talks about it. Few companies pay real attention to it. Very few employ it to the Nth degree. Let’s take a look at how Bryston and Axiom are setting the bar high for speaker QC. Construction Advantages Bryston of Canada goes well beyond what its competitors do to assure that you’ll end up with highly resolving and durable speakers…

As Covid was subsiding in 2022, it struck me that there was PRECIOUS LITTLE affordable audio gear that WAS NOT manufactured in China, or Malaysia. I didn’t, and DON’T like, that hundreds of brands of audio gear that you might suspect are N American or Euro built, AREN’T. In fact, these brand names, with the help of the audio press who turns…

Atoll CD50 CD Player $1650 (3.75h, 17.32w, 12d, 14 lbs) Made in France With Three Year Warranty! As regular readers know, I’m a big fan of CDs and CD players. As a classical piano fan first and foremost, I refuse to listen through LP noise and speed inconsistencies. You don’t notice wow and flutter much on classic rock. With piano music, snap/crackle/pop…

Atoll IN400 Integrated Amp, $7000 (160×2) {5.11h, 17.32w, 14.17d, 43 lbs} Atoll’s IN400 is a true contender for state of the art integrated amp. I say that without reservation. IN400 is right there with the best of the best, regardless of price. You can buy amps from Switzerland pushing $50k that won’t have the weight and warmth of IN400. Did you know…

Axiom M50 Speakers, $1400 Per Pair {35.5h, 9.25w, 13d, 39 lbs, 94 dB SPL, 8 ohms, 10-200 w/ch} Two 6.5” Pure Aluminum Woofers, One 1” Titanium Tweeter Bryston contracted Axiom, a friendly Canadian company down the road a piece, to make its speakers under contract over a decade ago. The project was a home run and the companies merged. The resulting company…

Bryston BP19 Analog Preamp $5195 (4.5h, 17w, 13.5d) Bryston’s new BP19 is a state of the art, full analog preamp. The $5195 price point is in line stage configuration. It’s $6195 with MM. It’s $6945 with MM/MC. You cannot buy BP19 with a DAC on board. BP19 is a fabulous preamp by any sonic assessment. But what makes BP19 the best for…

Axiom M-50, $1400 Per Pair {35.5h, 9.25w, 13d, 39 lbs, 94 dB SPL, 8 ohms, 10-200 w/ch} Two 6.5” Aluminum Woofers, One Titanium Tweeter Bryston contracted Axiom to build its speakers a decade ago. The project was a tremendous success and the companies merged. The resulting company is simply called Bryston. Bryston is using the Axiom banner to bring speakers to market…

Axiom M5HP Earns Nice Review

New Axioms have arrived!

Atoll PR300 Stereo Preamp, $2500 A recurring topic in deep dive audio forums is, where are the great preamps? We’ve got an easy answer for you- RIGHT HERE! Atoll is a fabulous French company that actually builds its own gear, in its own house, in France, with a 3 year warranty. Price points on Atoll are absurdly reasonable. That’s because Atoll spends…

Axiom M5, $1000 Per Pair {19h, 9.3w 10.5d, 91 dB SPL, 8 ohms, 26 lbs, 10-300w/ch) Bryston and Axiom, Canadian manufacturing friends, merged years ago due to their joint speaker venture. It’s been a home run! Bryston has offered its $5k per pair Mini T stand mount speakers. It’s a 45 pound 8” 3-way, hardly “mini” despite the name. Due to the…

I’ve never heard a pair of speakers as large as Bryston’s new Model T10s in my listening room, and the experience was revelatory. They were so powerful, well controlled, and evenly balanced that I can imagine them as an endgame purchase for many people.”