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AURALiC VEGA DAC Review

Chris Heinonen and David Rich

The AURALiC VEGA DAC is a stylish package that is one of the best sounding and performing units available today. At $3,499, it sits in the lower end of the price range for top notch DACs, but in the upper echelons of sonic output.

DACs

Audiolab M-DAC Digital to Analog Converter

Michael Jude Galvin

On its website, respected British manufacturer Audiolab proclaims the M-DAC is the follow-up to the 8000 DAC, introduced all the way back in 1992. I have gathered that DACs were quite popular in that era because CD players had not become all that good yet. With the market now awash in quality DACs, I guess it is safe to say we are in a DAC renaissance. Here, we review the Audiolab M-DAC, which, at $899, turns out to be an audio bargain.

DACs

Bryston BDA-2 DAC

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Following on the highly successful BDA-1 DAC, Bryston has raised the bar with the addition of an asynchronous USB input and reduced distortion in their new BDA-2 DAC. Take a look at what I found. The performance is quite a surprise.

DACs

The California Audio Show July 2011

Jason Victor Serinus

The second California Audio Show, produced by Constantine Soo of Dagogo.com, took place July 15-17 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Burlingame. If neither attendance nor room layout was exactly what dealers and manufacturers had hoped for, the combination of several fine sounding rooms, live performances, and information-packed seminars left many audiophiles smiling.

Read and enjoy Jason's multi-part report on the California Audio Show....in the CAVE

Show Reports, Film Festivals and Concerts

Matt Nolan 22″ Bronze Heavy Ride Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Well, sooner or later, I figured I would get around to purchasing one of the cymbals forged by specialty cymbal smiths who make them by hand, one at a time. Matt Nolan, of the UK, is a very well known and respected cymbal smith, and I have been browsing various websites to find one of his cymbals that I would like to have. So, I chanced upon this beauty, which is a 22" heavy bronze ride cymbal, weighing 3583 grams (7.9 pounds). I purchased it for $500.

Cymbals

Sabian 18″ AAX X-Plosion Crash Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

With the high sound volume levels being used in concerts performed by today's rock groups, there is definitely a need for crash cymbals that will cut through the thousands of watts in the guitar amplifiers, not to mention an auditorium full of screaming fans. Such cymbals have to be bright with a full bodied, piercing sound. Sabian's X-Plosion crash cymbals serve this purpose. This review covers the 18" X-Plosion Crash, which would be classified as a medium weight. The "X-Plosion Fast Crash", which is covered in a separate review, would be equivalent to medium-thin.

Cymbals

Zildjian 21″ A Custom ReZo Ride Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

The ReZo line for Zildjian is relatively new, and there are more than a dozen models ranging from a 10" Splash up to a 21" Ride. They are beautiful cymbals to look at, and in my opinion, one of the best sounding models they have ever created. The ReZo has a combination of hammering and lathing, but the lathing is spaced with regions of finely lathed and heavily lathed surfaces. The inner portion of the cymbal is thicker than the outer region. In this review, we look at the Zildjian 21" A Custom ReZo Ride Cymbal. It not only rides beautifully, it crashes nicely as well.

Cymbals

Legacy Studio HD Monitor Speakers

Jim Milton

Legacy Audio has been making speakers amongst the cornfields in Springfield, IL for over 20 years. Bill Dudleston (president and founder) and Doug Brown (VP) gave me a tour of their facility last summer which allowed me to see first hand how their speakers are assembled, tested, tuned and shipped. Legacy has many models to choose from, including floor-standing speakers such as the Whisper, and the Studio HD Monitors, which are reviewed here.

Bookshelf Speakers

Home Theater Movie Renter’s Guide – June, 2010

John E. Johnson, Jr.

The Wolfman (Blu- ray), From Paris with Love (Blu-ray), The Edge (Blu-ray), Marked For Death (Blu-ray), Armageddon (Blu-ray), Do The Right Thing (Blu-ray), Invictus (Blu-ray), Alice in Wonderland (2010) (Blu-ray), Carlito's Way (Blu-ray), Edge of Darkness (Blu-ray), Saving Private Ryan (Blu-ray), Daybreakers (Blu-ray), Robin Hood: Men In Tights (Blu-ray), Tetro (Blu-ray), High Anxiety (Blu-ray), Dirty Dancing (Blu-ray), Elektra (Blu-ray), History of the World- Part 1 (Blu-ray), Wolverine and the X-Men (DVD), Heroes: Season 3 (Blu-ray), Battlestar Galactica- Season 2.0 (Blu-ray), Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (DVD), Dune (Blu-ray)

Movie Reviews

MartinLogan 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System

Jared Rachwalski

I remember the first time I saw a pair of MartinLogan electrostatic speakers. It was 1993 and I was still in high-school, shopping for a new car stereo. And then I saw them, a pair of tall ominous black panels. I was immediately intrigued by the strange looking panel. Asking for a demonstration, I was politely refused, who would think a teenager with a scratched rap CD fresh off the car audio demo system could afford (or even appreciate) such a speaker? Here, we review a 5.1 set of MartinLogans, consisting of the Summit X as the front speakers, Vista as the rear surround, Stage as the center channel, and Descent i subwoofer.

Surround Sound Speaker Systems

CD Reviews – September, 2009

Jason Victor Serinus

This striking, eponymously titled album from singer/songwriter Christina Courtin introduces an enigmatic, deep-thinking artist who first disarms you, then ropes you in. Courtin's seductive, little girl voice comes off as almost naïve in the opening track, “Green Jay,” but turns surprisingly dark and pleading in “Laconia.”

CD Music Reviews

A Collection of New Vinyl Releases – May, 2009

Jason Crawford
Now, Blitzen Trapper is a little more my speed. From the first note of their newest album, "Furr," you know that these guys are most assuredly not traveling minstrels. These guys like to rock and have a good time. They have song titles like "Fire and Fast Bullets," and "Black River Killer." They sing about shaking it on a Saturday night and their guitars are loud and appropriately distorted. They infuse elements of folk, country, soul, and more to form an original sound that never veers too far from the rock, and keeps the listener alert and on their toes until the last acoustic notes of "Lady On The Water."
Vinyl Music ReviewsVinyl Reviews