I view running Audio Emporium like being the GM of a baseball team. We have categories to fill and I try very hard to “beat” other teams with our sage selection, or MIX. When evaluating speakers for about $8k per pair, we need an assortment of speakers that can appeal to virtually any buyer. It’s a fun challenge! And in fact, it…

I’ve written extensively for years about how silver discs are my favorite way to listen to music. They’ve had enormous potential from day one and reward you for putting effort into the format the same way you do for vinyl. It has always made sense to pursue higher achieving CD players rather than skewer the format while listening to a portable Radio…

I was just reading on a forum… the topic of new vs vintage Magnepans. Now, I know a lot of old guys have a Jones for yesteryear, but boy, there is so much blatherskite being written that I have to clean it up. Most contributors were telling the original poster to get old vs new- for no particular reason other than ……

I’d have to say that $4k per pair is probably our most active price point for cut above speakers. We have great candidates at $1k per pair, $2k per pair and $3k per pair. I’m not nay saying any of those lower price points. But what we are finding these days is that many customers who have had more than entry level…

The Munich Hi-Fi Show is considered the biggest and best on the planet. The Absolute Sound visits so we don’t have to make the trip. Let’s see what they have found for us. That’s why they attend, right? Don’t they want to point us in the right direction? Speakers The first pair they discuss are Martens for $190k. Wow. What a start….

Please take a moment to read through my Silver Discs entry. The topic discusses how a reviewer thinks CDs used to suck, but now they’re finally REALLY GOOD. He says it took 40 years to get good. Nope. He missed the boat. He was lost at sea for 40 years. He was evaluating the medium with poorly built, lousy sounding players. Would…

Suppose… you are a music guy first, and a TV or movie lover second. You want your system to serve music well FIRST. But you also need to run cable or satellite through your system. You only want to run two channels. You don’t really care about the tricks of surround sound. What’s the best way to approach this? Atoll IN50 Signature…

I heard you’re willing to spend just over a grand to get a new integrated amp to run your nice speakers. What’s your smartest choice to make them sound their best? Here are two integrateds that run about the same money. Each has chosen a different target. In This Corner… We have the incredible Atoll IN50 Signature ($1200) built in France with…

Atohm GT-3 Tower Speakers $13,000 Per Pair (46.85h, 9.45w, 17.12d, 83 lbs, 92dB SPL, 6 ohms) Two 7” Woofers, 6” Midrange, Silk Dome tweeter Available in stunning Gloss Walnut, Gloss Piano Black, Gloss Piano White Made in France: 7 year warranty! Atohm speakers are indeed, actually MADE in France. Designer Thierry Comte has created a line of speakers that check some very…

A good percentage of our customers own separate preamps and amps that have been purchased in the last half century. I always have a soft spot in my heart for separates because they allow you to accomplish two things. The first advantage of running separates is that you can get a more gutsy, ferocious power amp – by not including a preamp…

Received the new Bryston Trim T10 speakers recently. Made a few small changes in my listening room and holy crap do these Bryston Trim T10 speakers ever sound amazing! All the things I love it in a speaker packed into one. After we listen for a couple of minutes, Maureen looked back at me and said … ‘OK now I would sell the kids for a pair of these’.

Speakers: Bryston Tiny A $990 Per Pair (13.5h, 8.5w, 8.2d, 8 ohms) Listening to a system in the NEAR FIELD can be a treat. If you want to hear a singer, singing TO YOU, in an intimate space, a near field system is tough to beat. Especially, if you are chained to your computer a fair amount of the day, take some…

Grado RS1x Headphones, $750 Grado is built in Brooklyn. We make an effort to support N American or Euro suppliers whenever possible. Their new RS1x headphones are great fun! Grado’s new RX 1x headphones offer a host of technological innovations to deliver conspicuously warmer, more musical sound than mass oriented brands. They are distinctly less bright and zingy than highly advertised brands…

In the great hi-fi hobby, sometimes we come across a combination of products that creates a special synergy. And that is the case with the marriage of Bryston speakers and Atoll electronics. What’s especially enticing is, the money is downright reasonable. What is more common in our hobby is that a listener found “a great deal” on quality product like a 25w…

We sold some Magnepan MG 1.7i’s recently to a fellow who is building a new system. The 1.7i’s are a beautiful way to start a system with GREAT resolution. He settled on the Maggies quickly. MG 1.7i’s ability to cast a life sized vocal and guitar presentation, for example, is just about as good as it gets! They have excellent resolution and…

Atoll IN100 Signature Integrated Amp, $2100 (100×2, Class AB, Dual Transformers!) We all know the Middle Child sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. It ain’t fair. Well, maybe it is in YOUR family, but not in the Atoll family. Atoll is made in France with a 3 year warranty. They make five integrated amps below $4500 and each is a stalwart of…