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CES 2013: Scaena, Veloce and Kronos
Scaena makes line array loudspeakers in an oft-lamented finish that is the absolute devil to photograph properly. They use this oil-on-water/pearlescent sheen that is delightful to look at, and maybe...
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AXPONA 2014: Bricasti Audio, TIDAL Audio and the height of elegance
There is a line that I like to draw, down the middle of the audiophile community. On the one hand, there are those that gravitate toward a “tonal sound”. On the other hand, there are those that are...
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Newport 2014: High Marks for High Water Sound
This time, I wasn’t screwing around. After the fiasco at AXPONA, I wasn’t going to wait till the very end to visit Jeff Catalano of High Water Sound. Nope. Nuh uh. This time, it was bright and early...
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CAF 2014: Bricasti Design brings catapults, hurls insults at poor quality audio
Brian Zolner of Bricasti Design has a good reason to be smiling. His new under $30k/pair (est.) 200wpc M28 mono amplifiers are simply outstanding. His M1 DAC has been sitting on top of the A+...
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RMAF 2014: DSA leads with TAD, VPI, Wells and Silver Circle
The Dynamic Sounds Associates (usually just DSA) were here at RMAF to show off their new line stage preamplifier, the Pre 1 ($16,500). This new preamp is cosmetically matched to the Phono II ($12,000)....
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RMAF 2014: Hitting The Wall, with High Water Sound
We were 600 miles out, and the road lay as flat and straight as a dropped spear, stabbing into heart of mountains far too distant to yet see. With the windows down, the wind was howling through the cab...
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RMAF 2014: Bricasti Design and TIDAL Audio
If you follow The Audio Traveler, you’ll note that the Bricasti and TIDAL Audio system on display this year at RMAF mirrored the system that Scot had opportunity to hear at AXPONA earlier this year. So...
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CES 2015: High Water Sound brings a Flood the City of Sin
Okay, I’ll confess. I might have gone a bit bananas in the High Water Sound room, shooting the new Ortofon A95 cartridge. Whoops. The A90, which was discontinued some years ago, was an incredible feat...
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AXPONA 2015: The Voice That Is, with TIDAL, Bricasti, Aurender, Purist Audio...
Doug White of The Voice That Is built a gorgeous system around the TIDAL Contriva GS speakers ($69,690 as shown), easily the best looking speakers at the show. Note that this speaker is also a complete...
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RMAF 2015: Bricasti takes the gold
I had a good time chuckling over the audacity of the Goldilocks M1 at Capital Audiofest this year. I suppose it had never occurred to me that anyone would be that dissatisfied by the aesthetic of the...
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AXPONA 2016: Bricasti Design dials it to 12
Brian Zolner has been a fellow TIDAL Audio fan for several years, and I’m pretty sure he still owns the very first pair of Contriva Diacera SE loudspeakers — speakers that he’s used to help voice his...
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Capital Audiofest 2016: Because Tidal, enough said
I was told, years ago, that there were certain expectations that were completely legitimate to cling to. Horns have a certain sound to them, for example. As do triodes. And panel speakers. And ceramic...
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