-
1 week ago | 
stereophile.com | Ken Micallef |Jason Victor Serinus
Ken says: At High End Munich, IsoAcoustics introduced its new GAIA Neo and GAIA-TITAN Neo series of isolation feet. Designed for both consumer and OEM use, the Neo models improve on the established GAIA line with updated engineering. The first custom versions will be integrated into the new JBL Summit Makalu, Summit Pumori, and Summit Ama speakers, as well as the Marten Coltrane Extreme loudspeakers—all of which debuted at the show.
-
1 week ago | 
ptleader.com | Jason Victor Serinus
Two major things to write about this week, the first being the No King’s Day demonstration and rally on Saturday, June 14. The second thing is the Tuesday, June 17, vote on a huge increase in electrical rates for Jefferson County Public Utilities District (PUD) customers, which takes place after the newspaper goes to press. I will write more later in the column about that meeting, which I expect a lot of people will attend.
-
1 week ago | 
stereophile.com | Jason Victor Serinus
Métronome unveiled its very first music server, the small but mighty Métronome x Audirvāna DSAS ($6950, due in September), in an all‑French system. A “Digital Sharing Audio Server,” the DSAS uses Audirvāna Studio to manage both local and streaming music. It includes 2TB of storage (expandable to 4TB) and comes with a free three‑year subscription to Audirvāna.
-
1 week ago | 
stereophile.com | Jason Victor Serinus
Through a chance encounter with Daniela Manger, CEO and engineer of Manger Audio, I learned of the company's latest speaker: the vivid-red, active-drive c1 stand-mount monitor with matching stand ($22,700/pair). Compared with its predecessor, the c1's upgraded driver employs a more powerful motor designed to yield faster response and greater resolution of transient details.
-
1 week ago | 
stereophile.com | Jason Victor Serinus
From Munich's English Gardens to the Marienplatz, all audiophiles seemed to be talking about Qobuz Connect. I sat down over lunch with David Solomon to get the skinny. Qobuz Connect, the French music-streaming company's answer to Tidal Connect, is a one-stop solution that lets you manage your music library and control streaming with the Qobuz app.
-
2 weeks ago | 
stereophile.com | Jason Victor Serinus
Ferrum's Firmware Finesse: An International Ear for Audio Drawn to the impressive sound and compact design of Ferrum's Polish-made, relatively affordable components, I was eager to visit the brand's booth and learn about the new 2.0.0 firmware update for the $2800 Wandla DAC. The update introduces Ferrum Streaming Control Technology (FSCT), which enables remote control of streamers and displays title and artist information on the DAC's touchscreen.
-
2 weeks ago | 
stereophile.com | Larry Birnbaum |Thomas Conrad |Jason Victor Serinus
Kenny Dorham: Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue MoroccoKenny Dorham, trumpet; Sonny Red, alto saxophone; Cedar Walton, piano; Paul Chambers, bass; Denis Charles, drumsResonance HCD 2072 (CD; also available as 2 LPs). 1967/2025. Zev Feldman, Bernard Drayton, Charley Drayton, prods.; Bernard Drayton, eng.
-
2 weeks ago | 
stereophile.com | Jason Victor Serinus |Stephen Francis Vasta
György Ligeti: Violin, Piano & Românesc ConcertosIsabelle Faust, violin; Jean-Frédéric Neuburger, piano; Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth, cond. Harmonia Mundi HMM905382 (CD; reviewed as 24/96 WAV). 2025. Jiri Heger, prod. and eng. Performance *****Sonics ****½Equally defiant of the Nazis and the Stalinists, Ligeti was a twice-burned iconoclast whose life and music defied convention.
-
2 weeks ago | 
stereophile.com | Jason Victor Serinus
Impressively full-range sound was the hallmark of a fine system dominated by Aequo Audio's new three-driver Ensium speakers with active, room-corrected bass ($44,900/pair, or approx. $40,000/pair in the passive version). Connected by AudioQuest cabling (approx. $100,000), with Aequo's own Ferroguard power cables ($4100) for the woofers, the Dutch company's speakers absolutely sang.
-
2 weeks ago | 
stereophile.com | Jason Victor Serinus
What more delightful way to end the third day of High End Munich than having a cup of tea and a short chat with Jean-Christophe Calmettes, owner of Jadis Electronics? He had some interesting news to share about the French company's two forthcoming integrated amplifiers, the Aria class-AB ($5200, all prices approximate when converted from Euros) and the Ode 30W pure class-A (available fourth quarter 2025, price TBD).
