Julie Mullins

Interviews

Jonathan Weiss: Oswalds Mill Audio & Fleetwood Sound Company

Julie Mullins Sep 29, 2020

Jonathan Weiss doesn't do things the ordinary way. Nor does he follow the usual audio industry processes.

In 2006, Weiss founded Oswalds Mill Audio (OMA), manufacturer of a range of high-end loudspeakers and other products with exotic, vintage-inspired approaches and designs. Serious handcraft and bespoke materials, from solid hardwood enclosures to leather from luxury makers Hermès and Jean Rousseau, are behind OMA's upper-echelon pricing.

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #1: George Vatchnadze's Newest Gig

Julie Mullins Sep 24, 2020

Access to musical information isn't guaranteed, whether it's limited by the resolution of a recording, your audio system, or an oppressive political regime. George Vatchnadze, concert pianist and dealer in high-end audio equipment, has experience with all three.

Miscellaneous Turntable Reviews

Andover Model-One turntable music system

Julie Mullins Sep 02, 2020

Apart from the Beatles and Hendrix I heard in my audiophile father's basement, one of my earliest rock'n'roll memories involved a multipurpose record player at school. In third grade, six of us were moved as a separate group to a round table to watch a filmstrip in a darker part of a large, open-plan classroom. A clunky old record player in a self-contained carrying case with a half-dozen headphone jacks sat on the table.

Interviews

"Renaissance Man": Damon Von Schweikert on Albert Von Schweikert

Julie Mullins Aug 17, 2020

The phrase "renaissance man" carries gravitas. It's probably overused. But Damon Von Schweikert believes the term genuinely befits his late father, speaker designer Albert Von Schweikert, who passed away on May 29, 2020, leaving behind myriad contributions to audio through his namesake companies.

Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

Piega Premium Wireless 701 wireless loudspeaker system

Julie Mullins Jul 21, 2020

For the first time in the two years I've been living in this apartment building, I've received a noise complaint from a neighbor. Coincidence?

As it happened, yes it was a coincidence. True, my music was pretty loud, and the bass from the Piega Premium Wireless 701 loudspeaker system ($7495/pair) was anything but reticent, especially considering the tower's sleek appearance. But I was not the source of the specific noise that caused the complaint. That was the sloppy bass from another neighbor's inferior sound system. (The bass from this Piega system isn't sloppy.)

My Back Pages

Musicology Begins at Home

Julie Mullins Apr 28, 2020

When I was growing up, calling Dad to dinner required a trip down carpeted stairs to the basement, an audiophile man cave in a time before the term had been invented. I'd open the door from the kitchen, and a great wall of sound would emergeand nearly blow me back before I descended the stairs.

News

Gray Forecast or Silver Lining?

Julie Mullins Apr 07, 2020

Social distancing. Flattening the curve. These expressions are embedded in our collective psyche as we to try to keep COVID-19 and the novel coronavirus that causes it at bay. Few of us who live through this will ever forget them.

But life and work must somehow go on, if at a slower pace than before.

Florida Audio Expo 2020

FLAX 2020 Recap, plus Magico M6 Speakers, Luxman C-900u Amplifier and M-900u Monoblock Amps, Von Schweikert Ultra 11 Speakers, VAC Statement Electronics, MBL 101e MK II Loudspeakers, Avid Analog Front End, Critical Mass Racks, Børresen 01 Speakers

Julie Mullins Feb 16, 2020

This marks the end of our Florida Audio Expo 2020 coverage, but before I wrap things up, I'd like to mention a few more standout rooms with super systems.

Florida Audio Expo 2020

MC Audiotech Forty-10 Loudspeaker, Linear Tube Audio MicroZOTL Preamplifier, ZOTL Ultralinear Amplifier, and Reference 40 Amplifier

Julie Mullins Feb 16, 2020

The MC Audiotech Forty-10 ($35,000) is probably the most exotic speaker seen and heard at the Florida Audio Expo.

Florida Audio Expo 2020

Wilson Audio Sasha DAW Speakers; VTL TL-7.5 Series III Linestage Preamplifier, MB-185 Series III Signature Monoblock Amplifiers, and TP-2.5i Performance Phonostage; Aurender A10 Music Server/Streamer/DAC; Pro-Ject Xtension 12 Turntable

Julie Mullins Feb 14, 2020

Salon 1 Audio made its first-ever appearance at a high-end audio show with a demo room featuring upper-tier amplification from VTL’s Series III: the TL-7.5 Reference linestage preamplifier ($30,000) and MB-185 Signature monoblock amps ($22,500/pair), and the TP-2.5i Performance phonostage ($5000) paired with a Sumiko Palo Santos MC cartridge ($4500) and a Pro-Ject Xtension 12 turntable ($4500) with a lovely high-gloss mahogany wood plinth.