Phil Gold
AuthorELAC BS 244 Black Edition Bookshelf Speakers Review
January 28th, 2014, In Reviews, Speakers and Subwoofers, by Phil Gold
These are small speakers with a big sound. Their size might lead you to think they are imaging champions with a limited maximum output and you’d be half right. Their imaging is near miraculous. If you close your eyes you really can’t tell where they are in the room. But despite their small size, just … Continue Reading
TAVES 2013 Report by Phil Gold (Part 2)
November 23rd, 2013, In Audio Video Show Coverage, Features, by Phil Gold
Nordost The Nordost room is a reviewer’s delight – the one room where you get controlled experiments. This year I heard a comparison between two identical sets of speakers, one with the manufacturer’s spiked feet, the other with the Nordost Sort Fϋt. And a second where a single Valhalla power cable was replaced by a … Continue Reading
TAVES 2013 Report by Phil Gold (Part 1)
November 23rd, 2013, In Audio Video Show Coverage, Features, by Phil Gold
There was something for everyone at TAVES 2013 – whether you wanted to to see the new 4K Ultra HD TVs or you were looking to buy your kid a kit amplifier. Here are some of the interesting audio exhibitors that I came across. To read about the TV and home theatre demonstrations at TAVES … Continue Reading
Chord Electronics Chordette QuteHD DAC Review
March 18th, 2013, In DACs (Digital to Analog Converters), Reviews, by Phil Gold
England’s Chord Electronics is one of those few firms that travels its own path, completely ignoring conventional wisdom. Among its many innovations are high frequency switching power supplies, MOSFET transistors made exclusively for Chord Electronics by a UK semiconductor manufacturer, staggeringly original casework which includes glass portholes to view the exquisite circuit layout and unique … Continue Reading
Bryston BHA-1 Headphone Amplifier Review
February 22nd, 2013, In Headphones/Earphones (and Heaphone Amplifiers), Reviews, by Phil Gold
Here’s a very ambitious new product from Peterborough’s Bryston Limited. It’s a fair assumption that Bryston knows a thing or two about amplifiers. For most of its existence Bryston has majored in amps of all kinds - preamps, power amps, integrated amps, amps for active speakers and so on. But in recent years the company … Continue Reading
Totem Element Ember Compact Speakers Review
December 10th, 2012, In Reviews, Speakers and Subwoofers, by Phil Gold
I have already reported on the phenomenal Totem Fire bookshelf speaker ($5,995) in the pages of CANADA HiFi. When I reviewed it last year it sat as the smallest offering in the Element range which extends to the Earth floorstander ($8,995) and the bigger Metal floorstander ($12,995). I liked the Fire so much that I … Continue Reading
ASW Genius 310 Loudspeakers
November 13th, 2012, In Home, Reviews, Speakers and Subwoofers, by Phil Gold
Rectangular floorstanding speakers don’t leave much room for innovative style. German manufacturer ASW has done a good job here by offering a huge range of 16 fine finishes, gently convex sides and top and a very clean front baffle design. My review pair came in a rich cherry finish which exactly matched my wall unit. … Continue Reading
The Art of Listening - How Do You Connect With Music? PLUS Key Qualities You Should Look for in an Audio System
October 30th, 2012, In Audio, Beginner Articles, Features, Home, by Phil Gold
Did you know that your audio system can affect the kind of music you listen to? As an extreme example, consider the tricked out Honda Civic with massive subwoofers cruising down the high street. No way would Miles Davis or the Tokyo String Quartet sound good in that environment, never mind the strange looks you’d … Continue Reading
TAVES 2012 Coverage by Phil Gold
October 10th, 2012, In Audio Video Show Coverage, Home, by Phil Gold
And they said it couldn’t be done! There’s no market for a HiFi/electronics show in Toronto. You’ll never get good sound in a hotel. Add your prediction here. TAVES proved us all wrong in 2011 and came roaring back again from the 28th to 30th of September at the upscale King … Continue Reading
Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grand Symphony Edition Speakers Review
July 31st, 2012, In Reviews, Speakers and Subwoofers, by Phil Gold
What’s a spider cone? It’s an important question, because it’s the principal upgrade in the new Symphony Edition of the Mozart Grand speakers ($3,500US) from Austria’s Vienna Acoustics. The Mozart Grand has two 6 inch drivers, both clear X3P designs, while the upgrade replaces the lower of these with the new spider cone. According to … Continue Reading