I have been a long-time admirer of Backert Labs, which is located in Hockessin, Delaware. This company exclusively designs and hand-builds reference-level, in both the quality of internal components and chassis materials, some of the highest-performing tube-based line stages found on the market today.

With over 40 years as an audiophile and more than half those years as a hi-fi retailer, I feel I’ve finally put together a stereo that ticks all my sonic boxes. Those being in order of priority, dynamics, scale, tonal accuracy, fatigue free resolution and soundstage….

The JBL 4367 is a highly regarded 2-way floorstanding loudspeaker, known for its powerful, dynamic sound and ability to deliver a large-scale, unforced presentation. It's a consumer-friendly version of the JBL Professional M2 Master Reference Monitor, sharing the same 15-inch woofer and dual diaphragm compression driver.

The Harbeth Monitor 40.2. To my mind, these are unquestionably the best sounding and performing amps I've owned. As indicated in my post about the audio equipment I've owned, I've owned a few amps in my time before the Benchmarks, including:

The Nika loudspeaker offers high sensitivity @ 99 dB, this anllows impressive dynamic capabilities with only a few watts of amplifier power. The Nika has been designed to match with low power single ended triode & class A solid state amplifiers…

Townshend Audio DCT (Deep Cryogenically Treated) Isolda Speaker cables have an enviable reputation as being the best cables you can buy. They are a natural and satisfying component for the discerning listener, neither adding or taking away anything to or from the sound, while never becoming fatiguing or irritating.

Introducing the Lockwood Academy II Floor-standing Loudspeaker featuring a 15” Driver. The Academy II represents the pinnacle of our Academy design, showcasing our renowned 15” Lockwood Green HPD/SL point-source driver.

I remember a Saturday morning around 30 years ago, when I just happened to be at Sound by Singer, the New York City audio salon, watching this wizardy German fella named Joachim Gerhard unbox the newest speaker in his line, Audio Physic….

Let’s dig into how good the Meitner Audio MA3 actually is and where it differs from the EMM Labs components.  

When the ATM-2 amplifier disappeared from the website of the Japanese manufacturer Air Tight almost two years ago it led to mourning among the fan base. Was that really the end of this sonically extraordinary KT88 design?