breaking news
Axpona 2026: Paradigm Premier v2
Positioned between the Monitor and Founder series, the Premier series moves to version 2 whilst retaining its six models. Featuring new proprietary AL-MAC (aluminium-magnesium-ceramic) tweeters, integrated into an OSW (Oblate Spherical Waveguide) waveguide, AL-MAG...
Wilson Audio thinks big with the Autobiography
A week after AXPONA, Wilson Audio is showcasing at the Springville Museum of Art one of the most impressive loudspeakers ever created. Closely related to the WAMM, this new work of art is called Autobiography. According to CEO Daryl Wilson, “Autobiography is not...
STAX SR-L500 mk2 & SRM-D10 II
While the reputation of headphones designed around electrostatic transducers is based on the finesse of their sound reproduction and the sharpness of the sound image they deliver, this technology remains particularly difficult to implement. Very few manufacturers venture into this field, even among the most expert in the world of headphones. Japanese headphone designer Stax has over 70 years of expertise and mastery of this technology. Today, it presents a unique combination of electrostatic headphones and a dedicated portable headphone amplifier. A first in this field!
NEWS
New LUXMAN B-100 CENTENNIAL
Following the L-100 Centennial Class A integrated amplifier, the D-100 Centennial CD player and the P-100 Centennial headphone amplifier, LUXMAN continues to celebrate its 100th anniversary with the B-100 CENTENNIAL mono power amplifier. The new flagship of the...
Axpona 2026: Ø Audio Ymir
The executives from the Norwegian company, who were visiting Paris (with their axe), had warned us: they had a new model even more powerful than the Verdande in warehouse for the 2026 Chicago audio show. However, by reverting to a 12-inch mid-bass driver (like the...
Goldmund launches the new Ouranos Signature & Excellence processors
Primarily designed to be paired with Goldmund active loudspeakers, the new Ouranos Signature and Ouranos Excellence are processors engineered to output only the digital signal. Both simplified and modernized, the Ouranos models incorporate the latest advancements in...
Gryphon adds the Helios to its range of preamplifiers
Billed as a worthy successor to the Pandora, the Helios sits between the Essence preamplifier and the flagship Commander. Designed to complement the recent Antileon Revelation, though naturally compatible with all power amplifiers on the market, this new Danish...
Stax launch with the SR-009D a more affordable version of the SR-009
Between the recently released SR-007S (test VU#62 FR) and the SR-009S, derived from the flagship SR-009 of 2011 (test VU#03 FR), the famous Japanese brand of electrostatic headphones has responded to enthusiasts’ demands by reintroducing the SR-009D model. More than...
Thrax expands its Evolution series with the Janus R2R DAC
Following the Cotys phono preamp (test VU#63 FR; Remarkable), Thrax returns to its new Evolution series with the Janus. Housed in a chassis similar to the first model in the series, except that the four switches have been replaced by two dials next to the front-panel...
TESTS
B.Audio Alpha One
Founded in 2016, B.Audio is still run from Saint-Hippolyte by Sébastien and Cédric Bermann. After making a name for itself with its very first DAC, the Haut-Rhin-based manufacturer expanded its product line by creating a more affordable series called One, which included a DAC that could be paired with a preamp section and a network card, followed by a power amplifier. Today, the combination of these devices makes it possible to introduce a groundbreaking all-in-one unit—a combination of a DAC, preamplifier, and network player with an amplification section—to create the B.Audio Alpha One. Self-contained, this device simply needs to be connected to a pair of speakers to enjoy its full finesse and purity of sound.
WATTSON AUDIO EMERSON DIGITAL
Recently acquired by CH Precision, Wattson Audio had not yet been tested by us. But rather than starting with the new Madison LE Amplifier power amplifier, unveiled last May in Munich, we decided to go back to the company’s basics: its streamers. The smaller of the two ranges and available in analog or digital versions, the Wattson Audio Emerson Digital, despite its compact case, demonstrates all the finesse and purity of reproduction that have made the Swiss brand’s reputation.
MEZE Alba
A regular on our test benches, Meze returns this year not with headphones but with in-ear headphones: the Meze Alba. A model presented as more accessible than its big brother, the Advar, aimed at both novice music lovers and demanding audiophiles looking for affordable, stylish, and high-performance headphones. No small feat. A new gem from the Romanian manufacturer?
STAX SR-L500 mk2 & SRM-D10 II
While the reputation of headphones designed around electrostatic transducers is based on the finesse of their sound reproduction and the sharpness of the sound image they deliver, this technology remains particularly difficult to implement. Very few manufacturers venture into this field, even among the most expert in the world of headphones. Japanese headphone designer Stax has over 70 years of expertise and mastery of this technology. Today, it presents a unique combination of electrostatic headphones and a dedicated portable headphone amplifier. A first in this field!
SOULINES KUBRICK DCX & SORANE SA-1.2
Inspired by the spacecraft in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Soulines Kubrick DCX features an all-aluminum base designed around the golden ratio and the Fibonacci sequence. Adaptable to a wide range of tonearms thanks to three interchangeable bases, this Serbian-made turntable is available in France with a Japanese tonearm that is particularly well suited, both in terms of its modern design and innovative technology: the Sorane SA-1.2, also made entirely of aluminum, giving it a fast and tight sound that is as neutral as possible in its tones.
YG Acoustics Peak Ascent
At the start of this year, it is taking advantage of a new distribution network to regain the upper hand, especially as it now offers a new range that is more affordable than the Reference. Named YG Acoustics Peak Ascent in homage to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, this new series of six models starts with two compact speakers, a subwoofer, and three floorstanding speakers, of which we are testing the mid-range, a magnificent three-way model called Ascent.
INTERVIEWS
Provence Audio Show in Aix on November 15 & 16
This weekend at the Renaissance Hotel in Aix-en-Provence, the Provence Audio Show invites you to discover more than 70 hi-fi brands across 300 m2, presented on two floors by around twenty exhibitors. In this particularly pleasant location, you can listen to both major...
MATTHEW WEBSTER – YG ACOUSTICS
Present in Munich with most of his staff, Matthew Webster, YG Acoustic CEO, answered our questions about the launch of a new Ultimate range, which includes the Gemini project. Definitively named Titan for its commercial release, the new pair of ultimate speakers was recently heard again in excellent acoustic conditions in Tokyo and will also be presented in France at the Paris Audio Video Show at the end of October.
ACCUPHASE INTERVIEW 2023
After attending the High End trade show in Munich, Accuphase’s management team headed for Paris, where they visited Music Hall, one of the most important resellers for the company in France. On this occasion, we had the privilege of meeting one of the brand’s founders, Jim S. Saito, surrounded by his team of engineers and sales staff.
REPORTS
THE BRISTOL HI-FI SHOW 2026
Among the world’s major hi-fi shows, the one in Bristol is the most famous in the United Kingdom. Held in a large downtown hotel, it occupies a long ground floor, a terrace, a basement, and four mezzanine levels, each with about fifteen rooms. At the 2026 show, we...
Report: Provence Audio Show in Aix, 15 & 16 November 2025
Three weekends after the Paris Audio Video Show, the Provence Audio Show was held on the other side of France. Like last year at the Mariott Renaissance Hotel in Aix-en-Provence, the second edition of this show allowed more than a thousand enthusiasts and...
Tokyo International Audio Show 2025 (TIAS)
The International Forum from October 17 to 19 was held the Tokyo Audio Video Show 2025. This annual hi-fi gala in Japan provides an opportunity to take the pulse of current innovations and interests among the country's music lovers. While turntables, CD players, and...
MUSICS
VINCENT PEIRANI – LIVING BEING IV (TIME REFLECTIONS)
Inspired by many styles, accordionist Vincent Peirani brings them together with his quintet in Living Being IV (Time Reflections), a jazz album that is both accessible and invigorating.
TORO Y MOI – UNERTHED: HOLE ERTH UNPLUGGED
Accustomed to regularly changing styles, Toro Y Mio delivers Unerthed: Hole Erth Unplugged, a tender folk version of the previous album, which was much more electronic-oriented.
THE BETHS – STRAIGHT LINE WAS A LIE
Holding an enviable place in independent pop, New Zealand’s The Beths are back with Straight Line Was A Lie, which, despite its sometimes-profound lyrics, also manages to remain light and tangy.