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High End 2026: The White Whale Resurfaces—Pro-Ject Brings Back Platine Verdier
- Details
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: High End 2026
Certain turntables become the stuff of legends. I recall my early exposure to serious high-end components back in the late 1980s, before which I was only aware of Stereo Review-level gear. At that pre-internet time in my hi‑fi evolution, I considered NAD, Rotel, and Thorens to be top-tier equipment.
High End 2026: Westend Amplifier Bamboozles a Seasoned Reviewer
- Details
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: High End 2026
I’ve been in this business for over 25 years now, and I like to think I’m jaded enough to avoid being drawn in by a component’s looks alone. For the most part, I am. But every once in a while, I find myself captured, fascinated, like a magpie, by a shiny component. It’s got to be something spectacular, but it does happen.
High End 2026: Wilson Benesch Spins Me ’Round
- Details
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: High End 2026
You know it when you see it. A component so outlandish, so obviously engineered outside of the norms of this industry, so completely untethered from convention.
High End 2026: Three Days In, the Verdict on Vienna Is Clear
- Details
- Written by: Doug Schneider
- Category: High End 2026
Just before leaving for Austria, I wrote an editorial titled “Can High End in Vienna Be as Good as It Was in Munich?” In that article, published June 1 on SoundStage! Hi‑Fi, I laid out the concerns many people in the hi‑fi industry had expressed since the High End Society announced the show’s move from Munich, Germany, to Vienna, Austria.
High End 2026: Acora Acoustics and Audio Research—Overcoming Adversity
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- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: High End 2026
After my fun experience reviewing the Audio Research D‑80 power amplifier, I made sure to drop in on Valerio Cora—founder of Acora Acoustics and owner of Audio Research—and hear how his room sounded. We met in the narrow hallway just outside of his room.
High End 2026: Skyanalog’s Diamond-Everything Cartridge—The Hunt Pays Off
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- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: High End 2026
The X-series of halls in the Austria Center Vienna are startlingly similar to the setup back at the Munich Order Center, the previous High End venue. For large swaths of these huge halls, it’s a little bit like a farmer’s market—lots of small stalls about 10′ × 10′ in size, all with static displays. There’s no way to demonstrate equipment, as that would create one giant conglomeration of noise.
High End 2026: VinnieRossi and Audionostrum—Disaster Averted
- Details
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: High End 2026
I’m always keen to hear how products I’ve reviewed perform under show conditions. It’s like visiting an old friend. It’s a bit of a minefield, though, given that the components accompanying the one I’ve reviewed are likely wildly unfamiliar.
High End 2026: Still Running—Arcam Co-Founder John Dawson and the New A50 Signature
- Details
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: High End 2026
One of the benefits of attending shows such as High End 2026 is getting to meet the legends, the people behind the long-standing brands. Walking through the halls, I know I pass by people who have stories to tell, but it’s not easy to determine who’s who—especially since I have a poor memory for names and faces.
High End 2026: The Gryphon Hyperion Amplifier—Huge, Hot, Heavy
- Details
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: High End 2026
I always feel like a slob when I walk into a room hosted by Gryphon Audio Designs. Rune Skov, global sales director of this Danish manufacturer of extremely high-end audio components, is the sharpest-dressed man in audio. He’s trim, well-groomed, except for what looks like a carefully curated length of stubble, and he wears a suit like it was made for him just prior to the opening of the show.
High End 2026: Pre-Show Scouting—With Trophies and Beer
- Details
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: High End 2026
“You’re the only person who’s ever broken one,” Doug said in response to my offer to carry two of the four SoundStage! Network Product of the Year trophies he was hauling around. “I’ll carry them.” The trophies are made of glass but are quite well packaged in sturdy boxes lined with form-fitting foam.
JL Audio’s Primacy Active Loudspeaker Systems: Charting a New Course Under Garmin
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- Written by: Roger Kanno
- Category: Roger Kanno
When JL Audio was acquired by Garmin Ltd. in 2023, many audiophiles feared that the multinational tech company would prioritize JLA’s larger and presumably more lucrative car- and marine-audio divisions, and that its home-audio products would suffer in comparison. Industry insiders, who knew of a long-rumored project to develop a statement active loudspeaker system, wondered if it would still come to fruition. Fast-forward to the spring of 2026, when I found myself invited along with a select group of other audio journalists to the Garmin Experience Center in Miramar, Florida, for the unveiling of JL Audio’s Primacy audio system.
My Audiophile Neighborhood: Lighting Up PMC’s MB2 SE Loudspeakers
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- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: Jason Thorpe
“Do we really need that much power?” Rob shouted to me as we sat listening to the PMC MB2 SEs. It was quite loud, the Slayer album that Rob had cued up on Spotify. The Burmester 232 integrated amplifier—which we’d propped up on a couple pieces of plywood and was only staying for a few days—was giving its all, with the volume pinned nearly wide open. While it sounded fantastic, it was clear to me that this amplifier wasn’t quite up to the task of driving such monstrous speakers. Not to the levels that we seemed to be aiming at.
The Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2026: Day 3
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- Written by: Jonathan Gorse
- Category: The Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2026
To my surprise, the final day of the Bristol Hi‑Fi Show 2026 was considerably quieter than the first two. Day one used to be reserved for the press—but no longer. And with the show open to the public for the entire run, most people who were keen to attend came on the first two days. The lighter crowds on day three made it much easier to get into the rooms and spend time chatting to manufacturers, which is always illuminating.
The Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2026: Day 2
- Details
- Written by: Jonathan Gorse
- Category: The Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2026
The second day of Bristol opened every bit as busy as the first. I had spent the previous night reminiscing into the early hours with an old university mate over a bottle of single malt. That’s the problem with meeting up with a friend from your university days—you revert to your 20-year-old self! I realized in the morning that I was a 56-year-old man with a 20-year-old’s hangover, which was no fun at all!
The Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2026, Day 1
- Details
- Written by: Jonathan Gorse
- Category: The Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2026
The last weekend of February marks a seminal event in the UK audio calendar, because that is when the Bristol Hi‑Fi Show takes place. This is the longest-running audio show in the UK, and certainly the best attended as well. Little wonder, then, that the industry was out in force on the weekend of February 20–22 at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Bristol City Centre, as there was no shortage of new products making their debuts.
Florida International Audio Expo 2026: Margules Keeps it Stylish with a New Turntable
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- Written by: Doug Schneider
- Category: Florida International Audio Expo 2026
I’ve always had a soft spot for products from Margules. This Mexican company produces beautiful tubed amps and preamps, and elegant, stylish speakers. They’re physical works of art, and the sound is always superb—well-balanced and tuneful.
Florida International Audio Expo 2026: American Sound, Avantgarde Horns, and Hockey
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- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: Florida International Audio Expo 2026
Doug Schneider and I found ourselves transfixed by the large TV in the hotel bar as we walked in from breakfast midway through the third period of the Canada-USA gold-medal hockey game. Neither of us is a sports fan, but here we were, in deep-red Florida, watching our Canadian team play our national sport. As you probably know, they lost in overtime. It stung a bit, but oh well, so long as everybody had fun.
Florida International Audio Expo 2026: Canor Makes Its Case for North America
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- Written by: Doug Schneider
- Category: Florida International Audio Expo 2026
Over the last few years, I’ve become increasingly vocal about the fact that the hi‑fi industry has too many companies for the market being served. I’ve often said that if we cut the number of speaker companies in half, we’d probably still have four times too many. You could apply that logic to other product categories as well.
Florida International Audio Expo 2026: Car Audio That Rivals the Show Floor
- Details
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: Florida International Audio Expo 2026
Last year at the Florida International Audio Expo, I noted with a feeling of wistfulness that the entire parking lot was packed with cars featuring extremely high-end audio systems. I did a quick walk-around that year, but I didn’t have time to really investigate the goings-on. I’ve always had a love of car audio, but when we had our daughter, I pivoted away from the hobby because I rarely had the opportunity to crank it up, so the urge to keep modifying new vehicles quickly faded. But this was something I really wanted to check out.
Florida International Audio Expo 2026: Pass Labs and Rogers—Feather-Bed Comfy Sound
- Details
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: Florida International Audio Expo 2026
The older I get, the more I value my comfort. Used to be I’d go camping without a tent and just stand for a long weekend. Beer and psychedelics kept me upright. But I was in my early 20s, and I had the stamina to power through lack of sleep and survive on baloney sandwiches.
Page 1 of 33
Most-Read Last 90 Days
- The Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2026, Day 1
- The Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2026: Day 2
- The Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2026: Day 3
- JL Audio’s Primacy Active Loudspeaker Systems: Charting a New Course Under Garmin
- My Audiophile Neighborhood: Lighting Up PMC’s MB2 SE Loudspeakers
- High End 2026: Three Days In, the Verdict on Vienna Is Clear
- High End 2026: Pre-Show Scouting—With Trophies and Beer
- High End 2026: The Gryphon Hyperion Amplifier—Huge, Hot, Heavy
- High End 2026: Still Running—Arcam Co-Founder John Dawson and the New A50 Signature
- High End 2026: VinnieRossi and Audionostrum—Disaster Averted
- High End 2026: Acora Acoustics and Audio Research—Overcoming Adversity
- High End 2026: Skyanalog’s Diamond-Everything Cartridge—The Hunt Pays Off
- High End 2026: Wilson Benesch Spins Me ’Round
- High End 2026: Westend Amplifier Bamboozles a Seasoned Reviewer
- High End 2026: The White Whale Resurfaces—Pro-Ject Brings Back Platine Verdier
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