breaking news
Questyle Further Enhances Bluetooth Reliability with the QCC Dongle Pro 2
Based on the latest Qualcomm 6.1 chip, Questyle’s QCC Dongle Pro 2 builds on the concept of the QCC Dongle and QCC Dongle Pro but takes it a step further. As a reminder, the QCC Dongle provides a reliable Bluetooth audio connection to devices that lack this...
Meze dreams big with the ARTA
Unveiled soundlessly at the Vienna High End show, the ARTA is set to become the new flagship model from Romanian manufacturer Meze, surpassing both the Empyrean II and the Elite Tungsten. Its main innovation is a brand-new, high-impedance planar-magnetic transducer...
Clearaudio Releases the N2 MM Cartridge
A naturally evolved version of the N1—which debuted in 2025 on the new Compass turntable—the Clearaudio N2 retains the same design in a 3D-printed upper chassis made of carbon-fiber-reinforced composite (PETG-CF). Featuring a laser-engraved black finish, the N2 weighs...
NEWS
Silent Pound Speakers Are Coming to France
Founded in 2022 by engineer Audrius Balčiūnas, Silent Pound is now based in Kaunas, Lithuania, and continues to collaborate regularly with Kaunas University of Technology (KTU). The company currently offers two speaker models. Challenger II The Challenger II was...
New McIntosh MA2375 Tube Integrated Amplifier
Ten years after releasing its first tube integrated amplifier, McIntosh is back with the MA2375. Directly inspired by the iconic MC275 power amplifier, the MA2375 features the same KT88 tube push-pull circuit and four 12AT7 driver tubes and also delivers 75 watts per...
Canor Releases the Asterion V3 Phono Preamplifier
A recent addition to the Asterion V2 (7 200 €) lineup, the Asterion V3 allows Slovak manufacturer Canor to offer a more affordable phono preamplifier—though it still features vacuum tubes. Designed to handle signals from both MM and MC cartridges, the Asterion V3—like...
Focal’s Scala Utopia III Evo Becomes the Evo M
The change isn’t major, but it reassures us that, following continuous development of the new Diva Utopia connected line—recently expanded to include a third model, the Alta—the French manufacturer is still committed to its passive models. On paper, almost nothing has...
AudioQuest Sends the DragonFly Copper Flying
First launched in 2012 and subsequently expanded into several models of varying quality, AudioQuest’s DragonFly portable DAC has since sold more than 300,000 units. Today, the lineup is being streamlined to a single flying dragon, superior to all its predecessors,...
Grimm Audio Becomes “JPLAY Certified”
JPLAY introduces support for the UPnP Eventing protocol, enabling full bidirectional control between the iOS app and Grimm Audio’s MU1 and MU2 audio players. With this development, Grimm joins the “JPLAY Certified” circle, which already includes 3D-Lab, Atoll,...
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
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.
BEGÜM TOMRUK – MARANTZ
As the new design director in charge of the Horizon project upon her arrival in 2023, Begüm Tomruk tells us how and why she chose a position in hi-fi, then explains where she wants to take Marantz to continue to interest audiophiles, while also reaching other audiences attracted by music.
REPORTS
HIGH END VIENNA 2026 – NEWS
As you know, the major international hi-fi exhibition, the High End Show, is moving from Munich to Vienna in 2026. With this change, we observed a new dynamic this year, where the loss of familiar landmarks meant many exhibitors had to rethink their approach....
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...
MUSICS
JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ – AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT
Gentleness and inspiration form the foundation of José González’s 5th album, on which he needs nothing more than his acoustic guitar and his voice to showcase his talent.
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.