Escalation in P2P War
The entertainment industry is going the last mile in its war against file sharing. On Friday, October 8, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAAhttp://www.mpaa.org">MPAA;), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAAhttp://www.riaa.com">RIAA;), and the National Music Publishers Association (NMPAhttp://www.nmpa.org">NMPA;) appealed to the US Supreme Court to overturn a lower court's ruling earlier this year that peer-to-peer (P2P) file-trading networks can't be held liable for copyright infringement.
Esoteric at AXPONA 2026
At AXPONA 2026, Ken Micallef speaks with Esoteric's Hiroyuki "Hiro" Machida about the gear shown in one of the company's rooms at the show, including an Esoteric K-05XD SACD player, Esoteric N-05XE network DAC/preamplifier, and Esoteric S-05XE amplifier.
Esoteric Audio's Grand Opening in Arizona, Saturday
High-end retailer Esoteric Audio (111 West Monroe Street, Suite 100, Phoenix) has been a fixture on the Arizona audiophile scene for more than 30 years, since it was founded in 1982 by Gary and Pam Hjerpe. Gary and Pam have handed over the reins of Esoteric to a new owner, Andrew Papanikolas, who is holding a Grand Opening Event on Saturday, February 27, from
17pm. "Experience hors d'oeuvres, international wine and craft beer tastings, and a return to music the way it was meant to be enjoyed: in the company of friends," says Andrew.
Esoteric's New Grandioso T1, M1X, S-05
In celebration of Esoteric’s 35th anniversary, the company’s Shota Terai offered a sneak preview of the Grandioso T1, the first turntable in Esoteric's long history. Due to be finalized soon, the T1 employs the company's "patent-registered unique contact-free Esoteric MagneDrive System that inductively synchronizes the rotations of a magnetic driver and platter, realizing a quiet and silky-smooth rotation at an extraordinarily accurate rotation speed."
ESP Loudspeakers Returns
Back in the 1990s, I lusted mightily for the large ESP speakers with their tall, slim shapes and their angled driver panels. A large-room demo of the Concert Grands with Sonic Frontiers electronics still reverberates in my memory. Unfortunately, just as I evolved to the point where I could consider buying a pair of Concert Grands, the company folded its tents. Recently, I heard a rumor that ESP might be returning, and an email exchange with founder and designer Sean McCaughan has confirmed the good news.
Essentia Technology & Michell at Montreal Audiofest 2026
In our latest video interview from Montreal Audiofest 2026, Ken Micallef speaks with Essentia Technology co-founder Leoni Alexander-Tomas, and later with Jonathan Nye and John Rowland of Michell, about the British company's gear they were repping at the show, including the Michell Revolv turntable, Michell Gyro turntable, and Michell TecnoDec turntable.
Essential Audio Hosts Aurender & Bricasti Design
Sunday, February 23, 125:30pm: Essential Audio (715 Braeside Place, Barrington, Illinois) will host an audio demonstration with Brian Zolner, president of Bricasti Design, for the grand opening of its remodeled, expanded facilities.
Estelon's Eye-Catching Extreme Mk.II Loudspeakers with MSB and Kubala-Sosna
Perhaps the folks at Estelon were being intentionally tongue-in-cheek when they wrote, on their website, "By elevating the act of listening to new heights..." about the new Estelon Extreme Mk.II flagship loudspeaker (200,000/pair) whose mechanical system enables multiple height and tweeter depth adjustments to ensure stable imaging. (It also intentionally isolates the upper drivers from the speaker's bass units.)
Estelon's Major Statement: The Extreme Loudspeaker
Extreme, perhaps, in size6'10" when fully extendedand certainly in price ($260,000/pair US price), the Estelon Extreme loudspeaker has arrived at its exclusive US dealer, Audio High in Mountain View and Los Angeles, CA. The brainchild of Estonian designer Alfred Vassilkov, 56, who describes it as the culmination of 30 years of research, each loudspeaker, pictured above with Audio High's Michael Silver, weighs 551.16 lbs (250kg).
Etown Pulls the Plug; Workers Locked Out
Consumer electronics site Etownhttp://www.etown.com/">Etown; has become the latest victim of the dot-com bust, dismissing its entire workforce of approximately 100 people in New York and San Francisco. The company had run out of money, according to chief executive Robert Heiblim. Etown, operated by Collaborative Media, Inc., has transferred its remaining assets to electronics retailer Best Buy, Inc. of Minneapolis, a major investor. The site was still active as of Sunday, February 18; whether Best Buy will simply shut it down or use it as a sales organ isn't known at present.