StereoLife Magazine

12/02/2024

A life cycle of nearly nine years is not yet a record for loudspeakers, but certainly a very good result. The story of the original Diamonds could be continued, but since Pylon Audio's capabilities are now quite different, the whole series has been revised, and we reviewed the most interesting and versatile model - the Diamond 25 mkII. See the full article in the link below!

Although Poland's most famous loudspeaker manufacturer started with budget speakers, its current catalog is dominated by mid- and high-end designs. Th...

24/01/2024

The Polish company Fezz Audio has been awarded the Red Dot Design Award for its Evolution series of stereo devices. No wonder, as these are some of the prettiest tube amplifiers on the market. The Mira Ceti 300B is an integrated amp based on the iconic 300B triodes and home-made toroidal transformers. Does it sound as good as it looks? See our review and lots of pictures in the link below!

If I didn't know what Fezz Audio and Pylon Audio have in common, I would think they share the same owner. The two brands openly support each other, ex...

06/06/2023

Pylon Audio is a brand that started modestly, introducing budget loudspeakers and then slowly but steadily raising the bar. Creating wireless loudspeakers, the company decided to reverse this pattern, rolling out the heavy guns right away. Polish designers used their flagship Jasper series speakers, and added modern amplifiers and lossless wireless connectivity, creating a hi-end equivalent of easy-to-use network speakers. Is this "wireless upgrade" any good?

It's not surprising that more and more people are interested in hi-fi equipment that is luxurious, beautiful, and offers excellent performance, but at...

23/02/2023

If you love turntables, you should see the beautiful machines manufactured from scratch by a new Italian company called Thuono Audio. After more than five years of study and prototype development, three different turntable models are now finally available - the TH400, the TH350, and the TH300. There's also a custom-designed tonearm, cartridge, record weight, and two cables. Not cheap, of course, but damn, these toys look good!

Thuono Audio arose and grew out of a passion for high fidelity sound with the intention of creating products that guarantee the highest quality analog...

09/01/2023

Davis Acoustics was one of the first manufacturers to use Kevlar, carbon, and fiberglass in their speakers. Not surprisingly, many of these solutions can also be found in the Krypton 6 model. It's a compact floorstander equipped with three drivers - a 28-mm silk dome, a 13-cm midrange driver with a Kevlar diaphragm, and a paper woofer of the same diameter. It looks like we have some cleverly designed, pretty, French-built speakers here that don't cost a fortune. Find the full review here: www.stereolifemagazine.com/reviews/item/1576-davis-acoustics-krypton-6

03/01/2023

If you're looking for loudspeakers that don't look too futuristic but are still original in terms of design, you'll like the Neat Acoustics Majistra monitors. Two woofers in an isobaric system with a damped bass-reflex, a ribbon tweeter, and a massive cabinet finished in natural veneer - for many audiophiles, this is a recipe for something truly unique, but how does it all translate into sound? Find the full review here: www.stereolifemagazine.com/reviews/item/1569-neat-acoustics-majistra

20/12/2022

Audiophile cables are generally expensive, and if they are handcrafted using 6N OCC copper conductors, high-quality dielectrics, and decent plugs, you can expect a price tag of several thousand dollars. Or maybe not? Vermouth Audio Rhapsody cables are exactly that, plus they are beautifully packaged, and yet they are cheap as chips. Check out their full review here: https://www.stereolifemagazine.com/reviews/item/1575-vermouth-audio-rhapsody

07/12/2022

Bowers & Wilkins claims that the only way to total audio satisfaction is 100% fidelity to the original. The company chases this goal in a very meticulous way, making improvements that translate into better sound. And does, or rather, how much of this can be heard from generation to generation? We decided to find out by reviewing the 706 S3 monitors: Find the article here: https://www.stereolifemagazine.com/reviews/item/1574-bowers-wilkins-706-s3

03/06/2022

You've been asking us for more historical articles, so we tackled one of the legends of the audio industry. The history of Dual is full of brilliant ideas, right decisions, success, and glory, but along the way, there were also fraternal misunderstandings, financial problems, takeovers, years of uncertainty, and priceless knowledge, which was saved from oblivion thanks to dedicated enthusiasts, who today form the core of the reactivated brand. Turntables from 1935, beautiful stereo systems from the sixties and seventies, modern direct drive machines - you will see it all if you take this trip back in time with us!

Dual is one of the brands highly regarded by audiophiles, vinyl enthusiasts in particular. And there's a good reason for that. The German manufacturer...

04/04/2022

An affordable turntable that is ready to go out of the box, offers really good sound, and can later become a great base for further upgrades is the dream of many vinyl lovers. And although the choice is huge, it's still not easy to fulfill. In many models available on the market all you get for a start is a very poor cartridge, so you can forget about discovering the magic of analog sound unless you immediately buy a better one. But what about Dual CS 429? It comes with Ortofon 2M Red, so it offers decent performance from day one, and you can upgrade it quite easily later. Read the full review by clicking on the link below!

Dual has recently made a spectacular comeback. The legendary turntable manufacturer, which not long ago we used to associate only with vintage gear, s...

31/03/2022

Many manufacturers of high-end cables try to convince us that we are paying for advanced technical solutions, incredibly precise engineering, exotic materials, and details worked out to perfection, such as patented connectors coated with silver, gold, rhodium, or all those expensive metals altogether. To some extent, this is true, for it is difficult to achieve great sound when trying to build such cables from cheap conductors, the worst quality dielectrics and connectors worth two dollars. It's easy to imagine that when all these components are the best money can buy, the price of such cable goes through the roof. Is this madness? Probably yes, but it doesn't change the fact that there is no shortage of people willing to buy high-end cables, as well as companies ready to provide them with what they want. So let's climb that peak of cable technology by reviewing the KBL Sound Himalaya II cable series. You can find the full article in the link below.

Many manufacturers of high-end cables try to convince us that we are paying for advanced technical solutions, incredibly precise engineering, exotic m...

01/02/2022

The description of the H95 on Hegel Music System website begins with the words of Albert Einstein - "The measure of intelligence is the ability to change". Does that mean this amplifier will be completely different from what the Norwegian company did before? After all, it looks so similar to the H90, H120, and Röst. Should we expect any revolution in terms of the quality and character of the sound? To find out, check out our review in the link below.

I am completely biased when it comes to Hegel gear. I like the brand, I like most of the equipment it offers, I use an H20 power amplifier in my refer...

21/12/2021

We have a real treat for you - a guide on how to set up your speakers in the listening room, how to master its acoustics, in short - how to get the best sound out of your equipment. We created it in cooperation with Pylon Audio, whose designers shared their knowledge and experience. The article covers many important issues you are unlikely to find in your speakers' user manual. It's quite a long read, but we hope you find it enjoyable and inspiring.

Choosing a loudspeaker is a task that requires matching many factors at the same time - size, construction type, finish, performance, and, of course,...

18/11/2021

Dual is one of the brands most respected by audiophiles. It has produced so many great turntables that it's hard to count them all. In the 1980s, the company ran into trouble. Customers started buying Japanese electronics, and turntables were replaced by CD players. Today, however, things are changing and Dual is making turntables again. The best example of such a machine is the CS 418. See its full review by clicking on the link below!

Dual is one of the brands most respected by audiophiles. It has produced so many great turntables that it's hard to count them all and a well-preserve...

02/11/2021

Dual is a brand held in high regard by audiophiles. It's known for its excellent turntables. Like many similar companies, it almost fell by the wayside during the era of Compact Disc domination but has recently made a comeback with many exciting products. Josef Zellner, the man responsible for the idea of reactivating the company, told us about them. See the full interview in the link below!

Dual's beginnings can be traced back to 1900 when brothers Christian and Joseph Steidinger began manufacturing watches and turntable parts. Ten years...

19/10/2021

Check out our review of Bryston's latest preamplifier - BR-20. The Canadians used the experience gained during the design of the BP-17³ and BDP-3.14, improved each of those modules, added an excellent headphone amplifier and slots for optional HDMI and phono stage cards, and packed it all into one box. So yes, it's very practical, but does it have what it takes to deliver outstanding sound as well? Find the full review by clicking the link below!

Bryston is one of the companies that use a very logical naming scheme for their products. Thus, amplifier symbols usually contain the letter "B", DACs...

06/10/2021

Revo IPA-140 is Norma Audio Electronics' flagship integrated amplifier. Its frequency response stretches from 0.1 Hz all the way up to 2 MHz. That's an unbelievably good result. Its designer, Enrico Rossi says that simpler circuits are not necessarily better than more complex ones. The Revo IPA-140 is quite massive and its aluminum casing is loaded to the brim with electronics, but perhaps that's why it delivers such a convincing sound. It's a beautifully built amplifier worth taking a closer look at. If you don't want to wait, read our full review by clicking the link below.

The history of Norma Audio began in 1987 in Cremona - the hometown of famous composers, such as Ponchielli and Monteverdi, and great violin masters -...

07/09/2021

Never before have Iron Maiden fans had to wait so long for a new release from their favorite band, but it's finally here - the new album is called "Senjutsu" and its cover promises a lot of good music in the band's typical style. What is this fresh Iron Maiden's work really like? Find out by reading our review in the link below!

Never before have Iron Maiden fans had to wait so long for a new release from their favorite band. A lot has changed in the world during the six years...

03/09/2021

For many music lovers, a desktop or laptop computer is the primary source of the sound. After all, it's convenient, simple, fast, and very practical. But how do we get high-quality sound from such a setup and, first of all, how do we connect the computer to our hi-fi system? To answer these questions, we decided to create a comprehensive guide on this topic. What do you think? Do you use a similar setup?

Ten years ago, listening to music from the computer was regarded in the audiophile circle as cheap entertainment designed for people not interested in...

16/04/2021

Meet mads Klifoth - the man responsible for the shape and sound of many new Audiovector loudspeakers, the son of the founder of this company, and besides that, just a very nice, cheerful guy who loves what he does. It's been a while since we interviewed his father, Ole, so we've gathered some new topics to discuss. Mads agreed to answer all our questions, so if you are interested in these beautiful Danish speakers, check out the full article in the link below!