If you want to witness the absolute zenith of audiophile absurdity, look no further than the reel-to-reel “trend.” Rhino Records has become the latest label to move into the ultra-niche, highly fetishized market of prerecorded open-reel tapes. For the eye-watering price of $300, you can be one of 500 lucky buyers to own a tape…
Are you familiar with GoldenEar? If not, here’s the scoop: It was founded by Sandy Gross, who also co-founded Polk Audio and Definitive Technology. Its speakers have a distinctive look that results from a consistent design philosophy informed by physics as well as aesthetics. Its speakers are in the premium category, but generally offer a…
A double dose of audio news coming out of England: Cambridge Audio has a new US distributor and it has announced a new line of active speakers. New L/R Active Series Cambridge is applying a “just add music” philosophy with the new L/R Series. These are active speakers, so no need for a separate amp,…
This year Onkyo turns 80. But lest ibe mistaken for some dinosaur, it came to CES 2026 with a new identity, new messaging, and new gear to back it up. Now a part of Premium Audio Company and a close partner with Klipsch, Onkyo’s new messaging is aimed at movie lovers, music fans, and avid…
CES 2026 is now going full-steam. The annual Vegas tech extravaganza is the ritual kickoff for the new year in AV tech, including audio. While the high-end audio show at the Venetian is a thing of the past, on the main show floor you’ll find major brands flexing their muscles. That’s where you’ll find Klipsch,…
Fresh new year, fresh new gear. That is the promise of the annual CES expo in Vegas. And on the show floor this year you’ll find SVS Sound demonstrating its newest addition to its lineup: The SVS R|Evolution Soundbar. No surprise, SVS focused on per-channel fidelity. That means 3-way driver architecture for each channel and…
I feel a need to plant a flag. It’s the flag of rationality. Audio needs a healthy dose of rational thinking, as evidenced by the polarization of discourse, which is focused on bullshit that does not “make a difference” Arguing about power cords and the sound of DACs is literally depressing. May as well be…
They say the House always wins, but in the case of T.H.E. Show’s highly anticipated “homecoming” to Las Vegas for its 30th Anniversary, everyone seems to have lost. In a press release dropped on December 22, right as the industry was winding down for the holidays, T.H.E. Show announced the postponement and relocation of its…
The clock has struck midnight. And thus ends my tenure as Editor of Sound & Vision. It was a tremendous experience, I learned a lot including how to put together a magazine. Sound & Vision’s origins date all the way back to 1958, when HiFi & Music Review first published. It became Stereo Review in…
Emotiva’s always about hitting a price/performance sweet spot that appeals to performance-minded hobbyists. And what the market was surely telling the company is that big, boxy wood-grained speakers made a comeback and did not go away. JBL has ’em. KLH has ’em. Klipsch has ’em, and McIntosh has ’em. But unlike those companies, Emotiva has…
