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Have You Seen?

Details: Written by: Aron Garrecht; Category: Aron Garrecht; Created: 09 September 2024

Around 15 years ago, my wife and I upgraded from a condo to a large duplex. During our search for our next home, I had but three criteria: a two-car garage, space for a wine cellar, and a decent-sized spare room that I could convert into a modest home theater. At the time, I never would have called myself an audiophile, and I knew diddly-squat about room acoustics or how to treat them. All I knew was I wanted a big screen, a high-quality projector, and a half-decent 7.2 surround-sound system.

Details: Written by: Aron Garrecht; Category: Aron Garrecht; Created: 05 January 2021

Over the past decade of reviewing audio equipment, whether speakers, amplifiers, preamplifiers, or what have you, I’ve grown skeptical of products bearing an “SE” designation. While I will agree that “SE” often equates to the likes of a V2 or MkII of a product and doesn’t literally have to mean special edition, I do expect that these initials carry with them some meaning—and offer customers something noticeably special, unique, or superior beyond a higher price tag. Audio Research is a prime example of such a company. When it releases an SE version of a product, it’s typically aesthetically identical to the standard version yet dramatically different in terms of parts and performance.

Details: Written by: Aron Garrecht; Category: Aron Garrecht; Created: 02 December 2020

Rotel originally released its Michi series of products in the Japanese market back in the early 1990s. The word michi, in Japanese, literally translates to the road, or path. In the 1990s, Michi products were primarily targeted toward the Japanese market, but the products quickly found global success, as they delivered a step up in audio performance over the company’s other lines. Michi also finished them with classic Japanese rosewood side panels and priced them competitively. The brand’s new products, while still competitively priced, pack a wallop of performance and look anything but traditional. They also don’t appear to be aimed at any specific market, so I asked Daren Orth, Rotel’s chief technical officer, what precipitated the development of the new line. Orth’s response was eloquent and informative:

Details: Written by: Aron Garrecht; Category: Aron Garrecht; Created: 11 November 2020

Since he was a small boy, Oliver Göbel, founder of Göbel High End, has loved music. His company is located in Alling, Germany. But unlike most in his family, who fell in love with music through playing an instrument, Göbel was more interested in designing the instrument that played the music. With a background in electronics and communications, Göbel got his first taste for designing loudspeakers while working for Siemens. Specializing in designing specific acoustic solutions for large OEM manufacturers and often focusing on loudspeaker designs, Göbel discovered bending wave technology while he was there. Fascinated by the science and driven by his passion for designing loudspeakers, he soon patented his own acoustic application for bending wave transducers.

Details: Written by: Aron Garrecht; Category: Aron Garrecht; Created: 11 October 2020

In May of 2016, Bowers & Wilkins (B&W), parent company of Classé Audio at the time, was sold to EVA Automation. This acquisition proved detrimental to Classé Audio, as it was forced to lay off most of its staff and close the doors to its Montreal, Canada-based headquarters for the first time since opening them in 1980.