Jana Dagdagan

MBL's Juergen Reis talks Digital with John Atkinson

Jana Dagdagan Jan 30, 2017

Last week, we posted a video on AudioStream of a conversation between Juergen Reis (MBL's Chief Designer), Michael Lavorgna (AudioStream), and John Atkinson, which we filmed during CES 2017. During that same session, we also filmed a conversation between JA and Juergen that focuses more specifically on MBL's new N31 DAC, which JA will be reviewing in a future issue of Stereophile.

In this video, Juergen and JA discuss digital filters, aliasing, Nyquist ringing, USB inputs, inter-sample "overs," and many of the other arcane issues involved in DAC design.

CES 2017 Jake Shimabukuro CES 2017 Jana Dagdagan

CES 2017: An Unlikely, Impromptu Duet at the Venetian.

Jana Dagdagan Jan 24, 2017

On the final day of the show, our special guest, ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro and our very own Jason Victor Serinus came together to form the most unlikely of duos. We originally attempted to film this while in a moving gondola but were sternly prohibited from doing so by the gondola ride manager.

CES 2017 Jana Dagdagan

CES 2017: A Video Snapshot

Jana Dagdagan Jan 17, 2017

"What are your thoughts on this year's CES?": A multi-dimensional question that means many different things to the many different people who share the high-end audio realm. For my first attendance at the annual Consumer Electronics Show, I had a mission: to compile answers to this complex question and fit my findings on a visual medium, a time capsule of sorts. Is this the last year of CES? Was the low attendance in the high-end audio segment at the Venetian just a temporary lull? Or could it be a turning point for the high-end audio industry? Whatever might happen, 2017 struck me as a pivotal year for CES, and a show that begged to be captured.

Interviews Jana Dagdagan

Industry Profile: Jim Hagerman of Hagerman Audio Labs

Jana Dagdagan Jan 03, 2017

This week's Industry Profile features Jim Hagerman of Hagerman Audio Labs. In essence, Jim is Hagerman Audio Labs all-in-one, as he impressively functions as owner/designer/engineer/tester/builder/shipper/customer service, and so on. Hagerman Audio Labs first caught my eye a couple years back when I started getting into DIY projects. Though he has since eliminated DIY from his offerings (you can read why below), Jim continued to interest me because: 1) his website lists an address in Honolulu (a rarity in high-end audio), 2) he publishes his schematics, and 3) his candid approach to social media is refreshingall hopeful indicators that he'd make a very interesting Industry Profile subject.

Jana Dagdagan

Jana's Top 5 Hawaiian Albums

Jana Dagdagan Dec 27, 2016

Aloha, Stereophile Readers! I write to you from my childhood home on the tropical island of Oahumy birthplace and present vacation spot until the start of CES. As Stereophile's resident Hawaii-native, I felt inspired to make a list of Hawaiian music albums. Here's a quintessential mix of five old and new favorites from the 50th state, in no particular order:

Interviews Jana Dagdagan

Industry Profile: Steve Cohen, In Living Stereo (NYC)

Jana Dagdagan Dec 19, 2016

This week's industry profile tells a story about beginnings and changing times, in a conversation with Steve Cohen, a longtime employee (he doesn't have a formal job title) of the New York based hi-fi shop In Living Stereo. I started our conversation by asking Steve how he got into hi-fi. What was his background?

Jana Dagdagan

Jana’s Visit to The Netherlands (Video)

Jana Dagdagan Dec 16, 2016

When I was in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, visiting D+M’s Euro HQ, I shot a few video clips to accompany my written account in hopes of providing readers with an additional experiential view of my time there.

Interviews Jana Dagdagan

Industry Profile: Ken Ishiwata—Brand Ambassador, Marantz

Jana Dagdagan Dec 12, 2016

At the end of November, I spent a couple days in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, getting a first look at Marantz's New Reference series audio components. During my brief visit to D+M's European HQ, I was fortunate enough to spend 40 minutes of one-on-one chat time with Ken Ishiwata, Marantz's famed Brand Ambassador, and a key component to Marantz's success for nearly 40 years. I was originally only scheduled to have 10 minutes with him, but thankfully, due to a last-minute adjustment, we were able to talk for longer.

Jana Dagdagan

A First Look at Marantz's Reference 10 Series at D+M's Euro HQ

Jana Dagdagan Dec 06, 2016

Last week, Paul Messenger and I represented Stereophile at a Marantz press conference announcing the New Reference Series: the SA-10 SACD player/DAC and the PM-10 amplifier. The conference was held at D+M's European Headquarters located in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Josh Bizar of Music Direct, Andy Quint of The Absolute Sound, and I were the only Americans present at this session. (And naturally, the most severely jetlagged.) We were joined by nearly two-dozen international audio journalists from a handful of countries.

Interviews Jana Dagdagan

Industry Profile: Skylar Gray—Director, AudioQuest's Ear-Speaker Division

Jana Dagdagan Nov 28, 2016

For the past eight months, my headphone of choice at Stereophile's New York office has been a pair of AudioQuest Nighthawks. That's eight hours a day, five days a week, for approximately 32 weeks. Not eternity, but we've spent a good chunk of quality time together. The overall setup is comprised of an Apple MacBook Pro (usually streaming Tidal, Spotify, or Amarra for Tidal), an AudioQuest Jitterbug, an AudioQuest DragonFly Red, and said NightHawks. I suppose it's safe to say that my ears tend to jibe well with AudioQuest products.