Definitive Technology Demand D9 Loudspeakers

Details: Written by Hans Wetzel; Created: 15 June 2018

Reviewers' Choice I don’t believe that Definitive Technology gets the audiophile street cred that it deserves. In some respects, they were one of the first companies whose reputation was predicated on designing speakers that allowed folks living on real-world budgets to get a taste of genuine hi-fi sound. Short of iconic designs like the Mythos ST and Mythos STS, Definitive was always more concerned about the sound of their creations than about their looks. Their best-known speakers, their bipolar tower models, were clad not in veneered cabinets but in simple black fabric socks that made them look like obelisks. They were distinctive, if not exactly stylish. The fact that they can be purchased from Best Buy and Crutchfield lends the brand more of a consumer feel, rather than the holier-than-thou audiophile patina. Just because you can buy a speaker online rather than through a bricks-and-mortar dealer doesn’t mean it can’t sound great.

Venetian Snares & Daniel Lanois: "Venetian Snares x Daniel Lanois"

Details: Written by Joseph Taylor; Created: 15 June 2018

Planet Mu/Timesig TIMESIG008CD
Format: CD

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In 2016, Daniel Lanois used his pedal steel guitar as the basis for Goodbye to Language, a series of ambient compositions that recalled Brian Eno and Harold Budd, two composers he’s worked with. His collaborator on that album was Rocco DeLuca, who played lap steel. The complex, layered compositions revealed new sounds and evoked new emotions with each hearing. Tracks that had at first seemed contemplative and calming later opened the way to deeper, sometimes darker territory.

Munich: The Best of High End 2018 -- From a Distance

Details: Written by Hans Wetzel; Created: 01 June 2018

Munich’s annual High End audio show is now the best in the world. After covering the 2015 and 2017 editions, though, I took this year off. Between needing to take a honeymoon at some point, and having taken a new job that offers a bit less paid time off, I just couldn’t swing it. But from my laptop here in Philadelphia I watched our five-member team’s coverage like a hawk for Access-friendly products. I expected to see a few more new-product introductions, especially of electronics, and more companies venturing into powered speakers -- but there’s always next May, when I hope to return to the Munich Order Center. Meanwhile, I found plenty to like at High End 2018.

Elac Adante SUB3070 Subwoofer

Details: Written by Brent Butterworth; Created: 01 June 2018

Elac Adante SUB3070 subwoofer measurements can be found by clicking this link.

For the past couple of years, the Andrew Jones-designed speakers from Elac have ranked among the most discussed products in audio -- as were the Pioneer speakers designed by Jones in the years before that. What haven’t been talked about as much are the subwoofers Jones has come up with -- from the low-budget favorite, Pioneer’s SW-8MK2, to the technically advanced Elac Debut S12EQ. Elac’s new Adante SUB3070 may be the subwoofer that at long last draws attention to Jones’s work in the bottom two octaves of the audioband.

The Who: "Live at the Fillmore East 1968"

Details: Written by Joseph Taylor; Created: 01 June 2018

Geffen B0028266
Format: CD

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“At the end of the tour, in early April [1968], the Who recorded their show at the Fillmore East,” Dave Marsh writes in Before I Get Old, still the definitive history of the band. “The tape of the Fillmore East concert is extraordinary,” he continued; “a remarkable burst of sustained energy.” Unfortunately, when the Who listened to the tapes, enough flaws jumped out that they decided not to release them. Nonetheless, over the years, bootlegs of those New York City concerts of April 5 and 6, 1968, enhanced the band’s reputation as a powerful live act.

NAD C 328 Integrated Amplifier-DAC

Details: Written by Thom Moon; Created: 15 May 2018

Reviewers' Choice In my 20-plus years of reviewing audio equipment, I think I’ve auditioned more models from NAD than any other two brands combined. Amplifiers, tuners, CD players, receivers, and soon a turntable -- I’ve covered the waterfront with the Canada-based brand. And I’m glad. Most often, I’ve found NAD gear to be honestly designed with excellent sound quality, a lack of flash or trash “features” that do nothing to enhance one’s listening, and build quality that’s up there with some of the best budget-priced gear. I believe that NAD prices their products to be affordable for any audiophile.

Belle and Sebastian: "How to Solve Our Human Problems"

Details: Written by Joseph Taylor; Created: 15 May 2018

Matador OLE-1123-2 LC 11552
Format: CD

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The 15 tracks of Belle and Sebastian’s latest release were originally issued on three five-song EPs titled How to Solve Our Human Problems, Pts. 1-3. Does that make this latest edition a coherent album or a compilation? After the first listen, I found that the music made sense either way, though on repeated hearing I found myself pausing after each quintet of songs. At 70 minutes, How to Solve Our Human Problems is a lot to absorb; listening to these songs in three groups of five each gives this listener more space and time in which to digest them, and has let some tracks that at first sounded like filler come into their own.

Five Tracks I Listen to through Every Product I Review

Details: Written by Hans Wetzel; Created: 01 May 2018

When some hi-fi publications cover industry trade shows such as High End, held each May in the beautiful Bavarian metropolis of Munich, they write up listening impressions and deliver subjective assessments of how a component or a complete system sounds. I’ve done it myself, often. I’ll listen to a new system in an unfamiliar room, playing music I’ve never heard before. How futile an exercise is that? Sure, it paints a picture for readers who want to sample fancy new gear from a distance -- when I miss a show, you can bet I pore over the SoundStage! team’s coverage and pictures like a hawk -- but I could care less about the old jazz recordings that reverberate through the Munich Order Center, where High End is held. It’s all about the music, isn’t it? The music is the frame of reference -- or it’s the lens through which we evaluate whether or not we love the sound pouring from a stereo system. Diana Krall may be a talented pianist and singer, but she’s more likely to drive me into a coma than have me on the edge of my seat.

SVS Prime Bookshelf / Elevation / Center / Satellite / SB-2000 Home-Theater Speaker System

Details: Written by Vince Hanada; Created: 01 May 2018

SVS has firmly established itself as an online retailer of loudspeakers, first with its highly acclaimed subwoofers, and then through its Ultra and Prime speaker lines. The Ultra line comprises its higher-end speakers, the Prime line its more budget-friendly models. I first became acquainted with SVS through my review of the Prime Tower speaker, which I thought punched well above its price.

The Breeders: "All Nerve"

Details: Written by Joseph Taylor; Created: 01 May 2018

4AD LTD 4AD0035CD
Format: CD

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The Breeders reunited in 2013 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their second and best-known album, Last Splash, and soon decided to record music for a new album, their fifth. All Nerve took a few more years to complete, but the same lineup that appeared on Last Splash has produced a record that embodies the qualities that made them unique. The strangely likeable, almost hummable melodies and hooks are slight reminders of Kim Deal’s other band, the Pixies, but the Breeders use dissonance and buzz-saw guitars in ways that set them apart from everyone else.