Welcome to Distilled!
Hello and welcome to our new section – Distilled. We are not abandoning our standard reviews, but for those of you that would like a little more than the canned press releases everyone else is posting,...
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GETZ/GILBERTO by Impex!
Last year at Axpona, Abey Fonn and Nick Getz introduced their collaboration in the form of an Impex Records Limited Edition (7500 numbered pressings) in the One Step Getz/Gilberto album, originally...
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The Formula xHD DAC (rev.2) and La Diva Transport
It seems appropriate to begin listening to the Aqua combination with Emerson, Lake, and Palmer’s “Still, You Turn Me On..” Even though the compact disc format was less than immersive when introduced...
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The Wireworld Stratus™ and Electra™Shielded Mini Power Conditioning cords
You Can’t Unhear em! Wireworld founder David Salz makes some of the world’s finest cables, used by audiophiles and endorsed by recording engineers the world over. He’s a big thinker, and this time...
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REL Tzero MKIII Subwoofer
All REL! We’ve put a lot of emphasis on REL’s larger sub bass systems, but their smallest offering is affordable, approachable, and easy to use. The new TZero MKIII is the current iteration of their...
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Our YouTube Channel is Live!
Better late than never, eh? We’re finally broadcasting on YouTube, so if you’d like to stop by, just CLICK HERE: Original article: Our YouTube Channel is Live!©2024 TONEAudio MAGAZINE. All Rights...
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We Visit The Music Room
We spent some time with The Music Room and saw how much they’ve grown since our last visit! The best place to buy and sell used gear with total confidence. And a super helpful crew too!Please click...
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Voodoo For You…
Oddly enough, this product is backed up by quite a bit of science, but I love the name. I’ve known Jan Geschke for a while now, and between our love for Porsche automobiles and fine audio, I agreed to...
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The REL Classic 99 – It’s more than more!
While this may sound like one of those AI-generated comments, if you’ve seen, heard, or read about REL’s recent addition, the Classic 98, you know that this is something different than the standard...
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Vera-Fi’s Main Stream is anything but…
Mark Schifter and Vera-Fi have been on a roll lately, introducing some great products offering high performance at reasonable prices. This is a great way for everyone to get into the game. If there’s...
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Pass Labs’ XA60.8 Monoblocks
Of course, the big news is that now you can get Pass components in black. This is a good thing considering how many people have passed on conrad-johnson gear over the years because the champagne color...
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Vera-Fi Caldera 10-inch active subwoofer
Whether you are listening to two, or multiple channels, chances are your system will benefit from additional low frequency output. Adding a subwoofer is a deceptively simple thing that doesn’t always...
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The Vera-Fi A40 Power Amplifier – World’s 1st review!
It’s hard to believe that a $2,000 amplifier drives the $149k pair of Clarisis Auditorium Plus ribbon speakers with this level of control, quality, and tonal involvement. Chris has me listening to...
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World’s first look – The SVS Ultra Evolution Tower
We just received a pair of the latest Ultra Evolution Towers from SVS, which is the smallest of three new floorstanding speakers that reflect their latest design upgrades: Time aligned drivers,...
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Octave V80SE Integrated Amplifier
If you’ve been hunting for a premium vacuum tube integrated amplifier, the Octave V80SE should be at the top of your list. All previous Octave amplifiers we’ve used are built like a mid-80s S-Class...
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The Java Double Shot Power Amplifier
Many audio enthusiasts forget that power and dynamic range are the fourth dimension when it comes to achieving natural sound reproduction. With 400 watts into 8 ohms, doubling into 4 ohms, the Java...
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The Cambridge Alva TT V2 Turntable
Analog purists might be screaming “Aaaah, Bluetooth! No one is digitizing my precious vinyl,” when they look at Cambridge’s Alva TT V2.But let’s take another look. Think system building, think...
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PrimaLuna’s new EVO 300 Hybrid Power Amp
Last year we reviewed PrimaLuna’s EVO 300 hybrid integrated amplifier with excellent result. (You can read THAT review HERE.) It’s the perfect choice for those not wanting an all-tube amplifier, but...
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The Vera-Fi SnubWay noise filter
No, this isn’t a wacky kind of sandwich, it’s another handy way to get high frequency switching noise out of your mains without breaking the bank.Being bathed in noise so much these days from all the...
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New on Old School – Current Classics!
Sponsored by The Music Room – tmraudio.com Not everyone wants or can afford brand new gear. Perhaps you like the older stuff better, or just want go get more gear for your hard earned dollar. An older...
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The Diva Utopia Speakers from Focal are here!
Today, Naim/Focal announce their new DIVA Utopia speakers.They are an “active, connected, wireless hi-fi speaker system.” With 400 watts per channel of class A/B power designed by Naim, (250 for the...
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The new flagship subwoofers from SVS
They may look very similar to the outgoing models, but the new 17-Ultra R|Evolution series has had nearly every molecule changed and upgraded to the latest tech SVS has to offer. Starting with an all...
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REL produces an SE version of their T/9x (in cool colors)
REL calls the new T/9x SE “A Carbon Special for the rest of us…”This new addition to the top of the T-Series features obvious visual upgrades, in three new super-cool colors (Le Mon Yellow, Tangerine...
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Revox releases the NEW B-77 Mk.III
How cool is this? Revox announced today, the launch of their new B-77 Mk.III reel to reel tape deck. This is not a discussion about the validity of the format. We know there are plenty of tape...
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The Java Double Shot Power Amplifier
From the click of the super stylish power button that merely needs your touch to illuminate a diffuse white circle of light, the Double Shot power amplifier from Java gets you going. To illustrate...
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The Weiss 501 DAC
-Photos courtesy The Music Room This DAC is the perfect example of a great, slightly used product. Having just finished my review on the Weiss 502, they explain the difference between the 501 and 502...
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MartinLogan Impression ESL 11A Speakers
-Photo courtesy, The Music Room Yep, gotta admit being a fanboy of MartinLogan. Having owned and/or reviewed nearly every MartinLogan panel speaker made since the CLS in the 80s, these panels are not...
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McIntosh D1100 Digital Preamplifier
If you’re absolutely sure you don’t need a turntable (and I wont call you a bad Smurf if you don’t) the D1100 from McIntosh is a great way to roll. With a built in headphone amplifier, and nine...
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The dCS Lina DAC
This one is way overdue… I’ve had the Lina from dCS for a long time. Long enough that I bought the review sample, yet it’s been a lot of exploration and comparisons. If you are into premium headphone...
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The MoFi Master Phono
There’s nothing this one can’t do. You might think that hyperbole, but MoFi’s Master Phono is aptly named. It features two voltage gain inputs (what every other phono stage has) and a current gain...
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Voodoo Labs Carbon Age Standard Cables
Further exploration… By Chris Harr and Jeff Dorgay One of the most over used cliches in the world of audio writing is that a cable delivers a “component level” upgrade. However, after Chris spending a...
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World’s FIRST Review: The Magnepan 2.7X
A long journey of refinement Visiting Echo Audio in Portland, Oregon always turns up something intriguing from my audio journey, and this day would be no different. Lurking in the back room was a pair...
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Cover Story Avid’s Acutus Classic:A Great Turntable Returns Features Old School: Nakamichi 400 seriesby Jeff Dorgay 1095: Rega’s ND3 and ND5 MM cartridges The Audiophile Apartment: Dynaudio Focus 10...
View ArticleVintage audio at Axpona
With just over three months to go, I’ve been asked to give an hour talk about vintage audio at this years Axpona. I’ll be talking about your vintage journey, what to expect if you’re new to all this,...
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It’s National Bobblehead Day!
Phil Sklar, Co-Founder and CEO of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum has just let me know that tomorrow, January 7, is National Bobblehead Day. Located in my home town of Milwaukee,...
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McIntosh MC275 Power Amplifier
The MC275 from McIntosh is not only one of the all time classics, when it comes to vacuum tube amplifiers, it is quite possibly one of (if not the best) of their tube amps, in terms of value, sonics,...
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The Sim 390 is a front end that does it all…
If you’d like a high-performance system with a minimal box count, consider the Sim Audio 390. It’s a line preamplifier, streaming DAC, headphone amplifier and MM/MC phono preamplifier. It even has...
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Powered Delight – The Dynaudio Focus 10 Speakers
Think about cables for a few minutes. Then think about having only a pair of power cords in your system.If you’re in a small space, less is usually more, so this is not a bad thing for you. The...
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The Audiophile Apartment’s 2025 Products of the Year
These are our picks in the last 14 months or so for our favorite products to go in smaller environments where space is at a premium, and an extra splash of style is a bonus. A few of these products’...
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The Dynaudio Contour 20 Black Edition – First look
Don’t even ask. They only come in black. And I’m guessing that’s a part of how Dynaudio can offer this much speaker for this price – they don’t have to build four color combinations. Utilizing the...
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The FX-Audio DS-07 DAC/Preamplifier
What we’ve got here is a very cool, very compact DAC and Preamplifier that is only about 5 inches tall, 3 inches wide, and 7 inches deep. (125mm x 80mm x 176mm to be exact) What is so exciting about...
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Black Ravioli’s Big Pad Plus
We’re huge fans of Black Ravioli products; over the years, they have kept improving their process. The latest Big Pad Plus is more efficient at isolating your components from vibrations in the...
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Hagerman Piccolo ZERO – phono step up
If you happen to be a moving coil cartridge enthusiast or are thinking about stepping up (pun intended), you’ll need a way to raise that signal to a level that your current MM stage can handle....
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The FX-Audio L-07 Integrated Amplifier
$200 for a 200-watt per channel integrated? That you can hold in the palm of your hand? Really? And it will drive a pair of Magnepans? You bet. I was really excited about the FX-Audio DS-07 DAC/PRE....
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Issue 123
Cover Story: Awards! Old School: The Focal XS Desktop systemAudiophile Apartment: The SVS Ultra Evolution TowerReview: The Finale 300B EVO Integrated AmplifierReview: The Voodoo Labs Witchcraft...
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Cover Story Now in Black:Pass Labs XA60.8 Monoblocks Features Old School: SONY’s SCD-1by Jeff Dorgay 1095: JBL L52 by Rob Lawrence The Audiophile Apartment: Jerold O’Brien’s final review,a new power...
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The Vera-Fi Caldera 12 Subwoofer
Digging right in with the Caldera 12 and driving it down the rough road with a long playlist of Stanley Clark, Jaco Pastorius, and Tool tracks (but not “Chocolate Chip Trip,” because that is becoming...
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The Audeze LCD-X is a great planar headphone
About a decade ago, Audeze hit the scene with their original LCD-2 headphones that used planar magnetic technology. It was an instant success.Up till then, the highest performance you could attain in...
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MartinLogan Summit X ESL Speakers
For a few years, MartinLogan’s Summit was their flagship speaker, and it received worldwide praise. At the beginning of 2009, MartinLogan combined what they’d learned building the new flagship CLX...
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The Focal Sopra no.3
Here’s your chance to get a huge helping of what the big Focal Utopias deliver at a fraction of the price. With price increases over the last couple years and the tariffs looming, this is your chance...
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