From the day it was introduced in 2012, there was something special about Wilson Audio’s Alexia. It had a significantly different high-frequency presentation than the company had favored for decades. It was small enough to be nimble and have its drivers speak with one voice, but still big enough to convey heft and solidity. And, it had an intangible factor: It made you forget you were listening to speakers, and focus on listening to music. For me, it became the sweet spot in a product lineup that that already was strong from top to bottom. The Alexia was so good, in fact, that I wondered how it could possibly be improved. Yet, that was exactly the plan, Wilson account manager Bill Peugh disclosed to me in June at the LA Audio Show. Now, four months later, I was seeing — and hearing — the Alexia Series 2 ($57,900 USD/pair) on the ground-floor lobby of the Marriott Denver Tech Center at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. The new speakers were being driven by a rack of equipment from Constellation Audio. Based on this show demo, I would say Wilson has succeeded quite spectacularly. Constellation’s vice president of sales, Irv Gross, started [...]

For Immediate Press Release: Since we hired Electrical Engineer Mike Bettinger we have been asked about VPI’s future in electronics. Mike is known for his award-winning “Arion” phono, which is how we met him. Harry Weisfeld liked his phono so much he bought one for his personal use. Mike has taken what he learned combined it with the R&D resources and feedback of the VPI team and together has created a more affordable and robust flavor. The goal of the Voyager is to create an easy phono option for music lovers getting involved in the VPI line. Voyager has been designed using VPI turntables and is naturally synergistic with our line. In addition, the Voyager gives customers who might own a different turntable brand a chance to join the VPI family through our phono preamplifier. VPI’s new Voyager phono preamplifier is the latest addition to the VPI product line and will retail for $2,500 USD. The Voyager is a true high-performance design that provides both MM/MC gain and two input capability. With a front panel selection of inputs and MC/MM gain and loading, tonearm and cartridge swaps are easily accomplished. MM gain is 42db, loading 47K ohms; capacitive loading is [...]

The company that started life as a subscription DVD rentals has built an entertainment empire on award winning but expensive original content on a bleeding-edge streaming service. Earnings statements for Netflix have been rosy as revenue and subscribers grow at an incredible pace. But how much longer can Netflix continue to grow at its present rate? With high powered competitors like Amazon, Apple and Google moving into its market, some analysts think it may only be short lived.

Mark Sossa of distributor Well Pleased Audio Vida always is one of the most enthusiastic exhibitors I visit at shows. I’m not sure what his daily caffeine intake is, but even at the end of a long day midway through the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, Sossa was still brimming with energy and eager to show his wares. Much of that ebullience likely is due to his desire to get the word out about some of the uncommon brands he brings with him. The components may not have names listeners will be immediately familiar with, but Sossa always seems to be using them to make – I can’t help myself – a pleasing sound. In Denver, the Well Pleased system included an Audio Hungary Qualiton A50i tubed integrated amplifier ($7,500 USD), Aqua Acoustic Quality Formula DAC ($14,700 USD), Innous Zenith SE music server ($7,000 USD), Qln Signature 3 loudspeakers ($7,500 a pair USD) and a mix of wire from AntiCables. That was a mix Sossa gathered from around the world, with the Qualitron, as you might guess, coming from Hungary; the Aqua Acoustic DAC originating in Italy; Qln a product of Sweden; and AntiCables being made in the USA. Well Pleased [...]

Hooo boy, welcome to a rabbit hole. A good sounding one, but still...

Back in the days of Stradivarius, says Mike, instrument makers would tune middle C to 256Hz (A=430.54Hz instead of A=440Hz). This is sometimes called Verdi Tuning or Scientific Pitch. Over time concert pitch crept up to A=440Hz, which puts middle C at 261.62Hz—37.5 cents (37.5/100 of a semitone) sharper.

"So what," you might say, "it's all relative."

These days the duo team up to produce the Apex Hi-Fi Audio line of headphone amps sold by Todd at TTVJaudio.com. Pete's speciality is getting great sound from vacuum tubes—in my experience his gear is superbly musical and remarkably un-tubelike in their clarity and power delivery.

They also team up regularly to give fish sore lips and sample barley pop from every Montana micro-brewery they can find.

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