UHF Magazine

30/03/2023

By all standards, the Montreal Audiofest was a success. Exhibitor rooms at the Hotel Bonaventure were sold out, and so were the sleeping accommodations. Attendance was near record highs. It looked almost as though we had put Covid-19 behind us…thought that’s dangerous thinking.
What you see here is the first speaker we listened to at the show, and happily it was one of the best. It’s the Stenheim Alumine 3. It sounds expensive, because it is. Its enclosure is not wood or MDF, but aicraft-grade aluminum.
You can get news from the show on our blog, www.uhfmag.com/Newsletter.html.
Our home page, as ever, is at www.uhfmag.com. And you can keep an eye on some peoducts we have on special, including elements from previous reference systems. Tempted by a Moon W-5LE? Or a Technics 1500 recorder? We’ve got ‘em, and there will be a lot more soon.

25/12/2021

Christmas at UHF Magazine…with our best wishes for great music in the new year.

03/11/2021

01/11/2021

After ‍every ‍show, ‍people ‍ask ‍us ‍which ‍products ‍stood ‍out. ‍Well, ‍here’s ‍one ‍of ‍them: ‍the ‍Elipson ‍Legacy ‍3210, ‍small, ‍yes, ‍but ‍with ‍arresting ‍presence.
‍ ‍ ‍Now, ‍we ‍happen ‍to ‍be ‍very ‍familiar ‍with ‍Elipson, ‍because ‍years ‍ago ‍we ‍bought ‍a ‍pair, ‍the ‍3300. ‍They ‍are ‍still ‍in ‍use ‍— ‍they ‍are ‍in ‍fact ‍the ‍rear ‍channels ‍on ‍our ‍home ‍cinema ‍reference ‍system.
‍ ‍ ‍This ‍new ‍speaker ‍is ‍a ‍two-way. ‍The ‍woofer ‍is ‍aluminum ‍with ‍a ‍ceramic ‍coating, ‍and ‍the ‍tweeter ‍is ‍an ‍AMT ‍(air-motion ‍transformer), ‍also ‍known ‍as ‍a ‍Heil ‍tweeter.
‍ ‍ ‍Another ‍small ‍speaker ‍that ‍was ‍worth ‍a ‍long ‍listen ‍was ‍in ‍the ‍Audio ‍Note ‍room, ‍but ‍that ‍room ‍is ‍usually ‍worth ‍our ‍time. ‍Cellist ‍Vincent ‍Bélanger ‍was ‍there, ‍but ‍short ‍staffing ‍kept ‍him ‍doing ‍the ‍demos ‍and ‍not ‍playing ‍his ‍magical ‍instrument.

31/10/2021

Just in case you haven’t visited our Audiophile Boutique pages, drop by www.uhfmag.com/audiophileboutique and click on Hardware.
The rare 3a Design Acoustics MS5 was once in our Alpha reference system. Its push-pull woofers, unlike most woofers, maintain control even in deep bass. You hear the drumbeat, not just the drum.

31/10/2021

We have to admit we weren’t at all certain that the Toronto show would take place after its two-year COVID-fuelled hiatus. But we booked our hotel (a dreadful one as it turned out), and drove down the 401 on the appointed day. Yes, the show was on.
Everyone ‍wants ‍to ‍know: ‍what ‍was ‍it ‍like?
‍ ‍ ‍It ‍was ‍much ‍smaller ‍than ‍previous ‍shows, ‍which ‍was ‍no ‍surprise. ‍There ‍were ‍few, ‍or ‍perhaps ‍none, ‍of ‍the ‍usual ‍international ‍exhibitors, ‍and ‍even ‍some ‍usual ‍Canadian ‍companies ‍were ‍absent. ‍Bryston? ‍Nope. ‍Tri-Art, ‍located ‍in ‍Kingston, ‍just ‍down ‍the ‍road? ‍Not ‍this ‍time. ‍But ‍there ‍were ‍a ‍good ‍many ‍rooms, ‍and ‍— ‍more ‍important ‍— ‍‍good ‍rooms. ‍Angie ‍was ‍there, ‍from ‍American ‍Sound, ‍Gershman ‍was ‍there, ‍with ‍a ‍new ‍(and ‍very ‍good) ‍speaker. ‍Simaudio ‍was ‍there ‍with ‍nothing ‍really ‍new, ‍but ‍it ‍was ‍good ‍to ‍see ‍them.
‍ ‍ ‍Indeed, ‍it ‍was ‍good ‍to ‍see ‍everybody, ‍after ‍two ‍fallow ‍years. ‍Everyone ‍was ‍cheerful. ‍Despite ‍the ‍masks, ‍we ‍felt ‍almost ‍normal.
‍ ‍ ‍We’ll ‍be ‍sharing ‍some ‍more ‍impressions, ‍but ‍we ‍can ‍say ‍right ‍off ‍that ‍we ‍hope ‍the ‍Audio ‍Fest ‍is ‍never ‍again ‍at ‍the ‍Westin, ‍a ‍truly ‍awful ‍hotel ‍with ‍restaurant ‍prices ‍that ‍verge ‍on ‍predatory.
‍ ‍ ‍However, ‍the ‍Montreal ‍Audio ‍Fest ‍in ‍March ‍will ‍be ‍(as ‍usual) ‍at ‍the ‍Bonaventure ‍hotel, ‍right ‍downtown. ‍During ‍the ‍covid ‍hiatus, ‍the ‍hotel ‍was ‍completely ‍renovated. ‍Book ‍your ‍room ‍now.
More news coming up.

04/10/2021

Issue 101 of UHF Magazine was released a week ago. If you’re a subscriber, you will have received the link to download the issue, along with a reminder of your user name and password. If we don’t have your current e-mail address, drop us a quick word at [email protected], and we’ll bring you up to date.
This is one of the biggest issues we have ever put together. Because “101” is associated with university courses, we have put together introductions to various topics: High Fidelity 101, Amplifiers 101, Acoustics 101, etc. We think it will be a reference issue.
We’ve also updated the listings for The Audiophile Store, with new products recommended by…well, us.
As in other recent issues, we have added live Internet links. If a piece of music is mentioned, you can click on its title and hear it.
And now off to work on issue 102. We will have some surprising news.

01/09/2021

We know ‍that ‍Apple ‍Music ‍includes ‍classical ‍music, ‍and ‍indeed ‍they ‍have ‍more ‍of ‍it ‍than ‍its ‍competitors ‍(we’ve ‍checked). ‍At ‍the ‍time ‍we ‍wrote ‍about ‍Apple ‍Music ‍and ‍its ‍competitors, ‍Spotify ‍had ‍two ‍versions ‍of ‍Mozart’s ‍‍Requiem, ‍but ‍Apple ‍had ‍eight. ‍That’s ‍not ‍a ‍small ‍difference, ‍but ‍that ‍doesn’t ‍quite ‍make ‍Apple ‍Music ‍a ‍go-to ‍place ‍for ‍the ‍classics. ‍We ‍know ‍that ‍Steve ‍Jobs ‍had ‍a ‍good ‍music ‍system, ‍including ‍a ‍turntable, ‍but ‍he ‍died ‍a ‍decade ‍ago. ‍And ‍we’re ‍not ‍sure ‍his ‍successors ‍have ‍been ‍paying ‍attention.
‍ ‍ ‍But ‍perhaps ‍they ‍have. ‍On ‍Monday, ‍Apple ‍bought ‍a ‍company ‍called ‍‍Primephonic. ‍Now, ‍we ‍must ‍admit ‍that ‍we ‍hadn’t ‍paid ‍any ‍attention ‍to ‍this ‍niche ‍company, ‍but ‍they ‍have ‍our ‍attention ‍now, ‍and ‍perhaps ‍they’ll ‍have ‍yours.
‍ ‍ ‍Apple ‍Music ‍calls ‍everything ‍it ‍offers ‍"songs," ‍whether ‍it's ‍a ‍pop ‍ballad ‍or ‍a ‍movement ‍from ‍a ‍concerto. ‍That ‍makes ‍classical ‍playlists ‍pretty ‍much ‍unreadable. ‍You ‍can ‍change ‍the ‍titles ‍of ‍music ‍in ‍your ‍own ‍library, ‍but ‍you ‍can't ‍do ‍that ‍with ‍Apple's ‍own ‍music. ‍Or ‍Spotify's. ‍Or ‍Amazon's. ‍And ‍of ‍course, ‍if ‍you ‍want ‍more ‍information ‍on ‍what ‍you're ‍listening ‍to, ‍you ‍have ‍to ‍turn ‍to ‍Google ‍or ‍Wikipedia.
‍ ‍ ‍So ‍what ‍is ‍Apple ‍up ‍to? ‍Primephonic ‍shuts ‍down ‍on ‍September ‍7th. ‍Current ‍subscribers ‍(and ‍it ‍is ‍now ‍too ‍late ‍to ‍join) ‍will ‍get ‍six ‍months ‍of ‍free ‍Apple ‍Music. ‍Next ‍year, ‍Apple ‍will ‍release ‍an ‍app ‍for ‍classical ‍music, ‍which ‍will ‍offer ‍music ‍in ‍CD-resolution ‍and ‍higher, ‍as ‍well ‍as ‍documentation ‍and ‍information.
‍ ‍ ‍Interesting.

16/07/2021

Follow us on our blog: www.uhfmag.com/Newsletter.html.
And this weekend, take in our Audiophile Store’s Flash Sale, unique classical LP sets, and a bargain on our best interconnect cables:
www.uhfmag.com/flashsale.html.

‍   Well, this was a pleasant surprise. The organizers of the Toronto Audiofest (and the twice-cancelled Montreal Audiofest) say that the 2021 edition is back on. Same hotel. Same dates. Same exhibitors? We’ll see, though we think that by then visitors from the US and Europe will be able to co...

16/07/2021

Well, this was a pleasant surprise. The organizers of the Toronto Audiofest (and the twice-cancelled Montreal Audiofest) say that the 2021 edition is back on. Same hotel. Same dates. Same exhibitors? We’ll see, though we think that by then visitors from the US and Europe will be able to come once again.
‍ There’s been one other show, T.H.E. Show in Long Beach, California, June 11-13. We weren’t there, and considering the Covid numbers in California, we were more than a little surprised. Another show, CE China 2021 (a consumer electronics expo, not specifically an audio event) was to be held in September, but has been cancelled.
‍ We think it’s brave of them to announce it this far in advance, but we hope their optimism is warranted. We’re making our plans.

02/08/2020

Ready to book your Vegas room for January so you can attend CES? We hear Trump tower has room.
Actually, lots of Vegas hotels do, because the “reopening” of Sin City has led to (tah dah!) an explosion of COVID-19. The result is that CES has been cancelled. Well...not cancelled exactly. It will be virtual.
That, unfortunately, has happened to a lot of shows. We had hope that the Montreal Audio Fest would actually take place, but the confinement order, in Montreal as in much of the world, made it impossible. Will there be an Audio Fest in Toronto in October? Probably not. Though hope springs eternal.
We’ll be following the press conferences, of course, but at a distance.