Dutch & Dutch at High End Vienna 2026

Klaudio at High End Vienna 2026

MSB Technology at High End Vienna 2026

Coturn by Thorens at High End Vienna 2026

LATEST ADDITIONS

Music and Recording Reviews

July 2026 Classical Record Reviews

Jason Victor Serinus, Stephen Francis Vasta Jul 13, 2026

Holst: The Planets, Bax: Tintagel, London Symphony Orchestra, Tenebrae/Sir Antonio Pappano; Brahms: The Three Violin Sonatas, Andrew Wan, Charles Richard-Hamelin; Jonas Kaufmann: Magische Töne, Jonas Kaufmann, Nikola Hillebrand, Hungarian State Opera Orchestra/Dirk Kaftan; Rachmaninoff: The Bells; Symphonic Dances, Kristina Mkhitaryan, Dmytro Popov, Alexander Vinogradov, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and Choir/Karina Canellakis.

Music and Recording Reviews

July 2026 Jazz Record Reviews

Thomas Conrad, Andrey Henkin Jul 13, 2026

Richard Andersson: Monk & More; Mal Waldron: Starlight & Sunlight: At the Jazz Showcase; Ben Stapp: Uzmic Ro'Samg (Live Solo Tuba); Dave Adewumi: The Flame Beneath the Silence.

Music and Recording Reviews

July 2026 Rock/Pop Record Reviews

Robert Baird, Ray Chelstowski, Jason Victor Serinus Jul 13, 2026

T. Rex: Electric Warrior; Tasha Warren & Dave Eggar: MotherLoad; Bruce Hornsby: Indigo Park; Altin Gün: Garip; King Tuff: Moo; Snail Mail: Ricochet.

Phono Preamp Reviews Spin Doctor Tonearm Reviews

Spin Doctor #38: the Sorane ZA-12 tonearm and Parks Audio Waxwing phono preamp

Michael Trei Jul 10, 2026

In 1936, the great blues pioneer Robert Johnson recorded his song "Cross Road Blues," which many interpret as his telling the story of how he went to a crossroads and fell to his knees to make a deal with the devil, selling his soul in exchange for musical genius.

Music and Recording Features

Lost Nights, Found Solos: The Penthouse Tapes

Thomas Conrad Jul 09, 2026

The Penthouse jazz club was on First and Cherry in Seattle. It had a seven-year run from 1962 to 1968 as one of the premier jazz venues on the West Coast. The site is a parking lot now. Yet the Penthouse lives. This is the story of why.

AXPONA 2026 My Back Pages

The 30 Year-Old Hi-Fi Show Virgin

Akilan Gopal Jul 08, 2026

The writer of this report, Akilan Gopal, and his brother Adhi are the people in the middle with the biggest smiles. Adhi is on the left.

AXPONA was immense and overwhelming. Bass vibrated down hallways. Rooms spilled sound into each other. We took a deep breath and dove in, starting with the car audio section.

News

Dynaudio to Exit the US. Market

Jason Victor Serinus Jul 07, 2026

This developing story will be updated as information comes available. In a tersely worded press release that was leaked before its planned July 8 release date, Dynaudio A/S of Denmark announced its decision "to focus its future market development efforts on Europe and Asia as part of its long-term business strategy. As a result, the company ... will cease operations of its commercial activities in North America and permanently shut down its U.S. subsidiary in the fall of 2026."

Aural Robert

A Day in Tarifa: Pittsburgh Guitarist John Shannon

Robert Baird Jul 07, 2026

Pittsburgh has played a very meaningful if largely ignored role in the history of jazz. Known more for steel and sports teams than for musical innovation, Pittsburgh is the birthplace and first musical incubator or home to bandleader-vocalist Billy Eckstine; pianists Erroll Garner, Earl "Fatha" Hines, and Ahmad Jamal; drummers Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, and Jeff "Tain" Watts; and bassist Ray Brown.

Revinylized!

Revinylization #76: Joe Jackson's New & Old Albums

Mike Mettler Jul 06, 2026

Photo by Harry Elliott

Joe Jackson, the veteran British pianist/vocalist, insists on a certain level of sound quality, which can be traced all the way back to his 1979 A&M debut album, Look Sharp! His five-decade-long career has covered a vast repertoire, and along the way, he's stuck in a few allusions to previous work.

News

AXISS Audio Distribution Files Federal Lawsuit - UPDATED

Jason Victor Serinus Jul 06, 2026

On July 2, major US audio distributor AXISS Audio filed a federal lawsuit against Michael Bovaird and his businesses (Suncoast Audio, Luxury Hi-Fi Distribution, and Clarisys Audio), Michael Gefteas, aka The Greek Audio Geek, and his business (Bespoke Audio), and Florian Wiegand, part owner of Clarisys Audio. In separate Facebook posts, The Greek Audio Geek and the other defendants have pushed back.