NWA – Straight Outta Compton, 20th Anniversary Edition
Ground zero for gangster rap, Straight Outta Compton set the tone and style for everything else that followed, with explosive dynamics and lyrics that stand the test of time 20 years later. The...
View ArticleSnoop Lion – Reincarcerated
You can take the boy out of hip-hop, but you can’t take the hip-hop out of the boy. Snoop’s current record has more of a reggae flavor, but there are plenty of hard-hitting grooves here to keep loyal...
View ArticleTosca – j.a.c.
Richard Dorfmeister of Kruder & Dorfmeister is half of Tosca, and his influence on this record is clearly obvious, given its ethereal rhythms, heavy yet lazy bass lines, and a soundstage full of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Headphones under $100: Grado SR80i & Pioneer SE-A1000
In the world of high-end audio, Benjamin Franklin generally doesn’t get you too far—no wonder his lips look pursed in his portrait on the $100 bill. There are some exceptions, including the Grado SR80i...
View ArticleClik here to view.
NAD 3020 Integrated Amplifier
I recently bought an original NAD 3020 integrated stereo amplifier for $66 on eBay. As soon as I hooked it up to my Dynaudio Contour 1.1 speakers, I remembered why the little amp took the audio world...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Klyne SK-5A Preamplifier
TONEAudio publisher Jeff Dorgay handed me this handsome preamplifier from the 80s with a sly look on his face. I vividly remember Klyne from the late 80s and early 90s. It was a small company that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Quad ESL Loudspeakers
Expectations have changed over the decades. In the 21st century, we demand amplifiers that deliver copious amounts of power with ease. Loudspeakers? We insist on dynamic range unimagined in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sennheiser HD 414 and 424
With headphones now regularly tipping the scale with four-figure price tags, it’s always interesting to revisit the (then) $29.95 Sennheiser HD 414. Introduced in 1968, the HD 414 was exciting, not...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pass Labs Aleph 60
The Aleph 60 monoblock probably won’t win any beauty contests. It’s a basic black cube surrounded by heat sinks, and the only indication that it’s operating (aside from its temperature after it’s been...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Harman Kardon Rabco ST-7 Linear-Tracking Turntable
Welcome to Kludgeville, aka the H/K Rabco ST-7 linear-tracking turntable. Introduced in the mid 1970s and selling in fairly high numbers, the ST-7 was a brilliant product, which eventually crashed and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Revox A77 and B77
Along with the boom in killer headphones and headphone amps, the past few years have turned up another unexpected revival. It was clear to all – upon hearing the insultingly poor ear-buds supplied with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
PS Audio Power Plant P300
During high-end audio’s early days, power from AC lines was never suspected of gremlins. But like every other aspect of music reproduction, it, too, came under scrutiny. In the mid 70s, rumblings...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Thorens TD 125 Turntable
For some of us, it’s the Rodney Dangerfield of the Thorens family of turntables. The barely-remembered TD 125 Mk II, though cherished when it was current, rarely figures in audiophile reminiscences,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Krell KSA-50 Amplifier
Among my many life-changing “firsts” I recall—like the first time I had Beef Wellington (September 5, 1972) or received a copy of Meet The Beatles (March 10, 1964)—I will never forget the first time I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
SME 3009 Tonearm
Depending on when you start the counting, last year marked the 50th anniversary of the SME 3009 tonearm. Ignoring both xenophobia on the part of the British and envy on the part of everyone else, it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Audio Research SP-11 preamplifier
Residing at the top of the heap for at least three decades, Audio Research Corporation preamplifiers are almost default purchases for certain types of tube lovers. ARC preamps are adventurous in their...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Marantz 2245 Stereo Receiver
My best friend bought this Marantz 2245 receiver in 1973 while serving in the US Navy. It was purchased along with a pair of JBL-L100s and a Dual turntable. Traveling around the world with him during...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Luxman’s Luscious MB-3045 Monoblocks
The sound of a classic vacuum-tube amplifier always beckons, and a recent trip to Echo Audio in Portland turned up a pair of gorgeous Luxman MB-3045 monoblocks. When Echo owner Kurt Doslu coyly told me...
View ArticleClik here to view.
D’Agostino Momentum Stereo Amplifier
Flanked by the wall of monstrous amplifiers here for evaluation, the compact D’Agostino Momentum stereo power amplifier stands out from the pack. As the Hammond organ solo in Mighty Sam McClain’s “Too...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Naim UnitiQute 2 All-in-One Player
When Naim introduced its all-in-one UnitiQute player a couple years ago, everyone here went bonkers over the damn thing, drawing the obvious references to the legendary Naim Nait. The original Nait,...
View Article