The Absolute Sound

Email the Editor: rharley@nextscreen.com or: TAS, 1801 Red Bud Ln, Ste B, Round Rock, TX 78664 Compared to What? Thank you to Dr. Greene and Mr. Stone for the guest editorial in the February 2025 issue [“Compared to What? The Decline and Fall of Subjective Reviews”]. They are absolutely correct: Without a reference to live unamplified music, how could one subjectively know how a component is supposed to sound? I would extend their mandate to others—manufacturers, dealers, and consumers alike. I realize that classical music is anathema to most audiophiles. As Mr. Quint stated in the same issue, there is no easier way to clear a room at an audio show than by playing a classical recording. However, listening to classical music is also good for you, and there is ample…

This issue's cover features Jonathan Valin's masterful review of the Audio Research Reference 330M monoblock power amplifier. The previous issue's cover showcased the dCS Varèse digital playback system. The next issue's cover subject is the 50th Anniversary Edition of the Wilson Audio WATT/Puppy loudspeaker. This issue also includes Andy Quint's assessment of the Von Schweikert Audio VR.thirty loudspeaker, from a company also celebrating 50 years. Finally, we also have in this issue Dick Olsher's review of the Grado Gold3 phono cartridge. These manufacturers have two things in common; they have been in business a long time (the youngest is dCS at 38 years, the oldest is Grado at 72 years), and they are either led today by descendants of the company founders (dCS, Von Schweikert, Wilson, Grado) or by a…

Aurender A1000 Music Server/Streamer Robust connectivity and versatility define Aurender's new A1000 Music Server/Streamer. It offers a digital lossless volume control, variable and fixed output options, excellent user interface, and audiophile-grade build-quality, all for a fraction of the cost of most of the company's products. Able to connect to any amplification source, digital source, or HDMI-equipped TV, the A1000 also doubles as a preamplifier or simply as a fixed-output plug-and-play component. On tap is high-resolution music (up to 32-bit/768kHz and native DSD512) from most streaming services. Equipped with an AKM 4490REQ dual-mono DAC chip and Quad-core 2.0GHz ARM Cortex-A55 CPU—each fueled by its own linear power supply. On the outside, A1000 comes encased in an elegant machined-aluminum chassis that accommodates a full-color 6.9-inch LCD display. In addition to a full-featured…

On January 29th, 2025, Frank Van Alstine passed away, and the high-end community lost a true innovator who trailblazed the art of audio component modifications, thereby making high-end audio more enjoyable and cost-effective for a wide audience. Frank's vision and passion for merging quality and value in his products became legendary. His greatest joy in business was from the happy letters and feedback he received from his customers. His career spanned a remarkable 57 years and overlapped the tube renaissance of the 1970s, which was spearheaded by William Zane Johnson and the Audio Research Corporation. Frank grew up in Winona, Minnesota, and it was there in the 7th grade that he was bitten by the audio bug. He saved his paper route money and eventually put together his first audio…

In Issue 358, I described a unique initiative to raise awareness and appreciation of high-end audio in the Middle East. The initiative, called the Sound Culture Project, is the brainchild of Nilesh Khalkho, the Founder and CEO of Sharaf DG, a leading electronics retailer in the Middle East with 31 Best-Buy-like locations. He envisioned DG+, a new high-end retail location in Dubai with the goal of not just selling products but also providing the first step in bringing an appreciation of sound and music quality to people of the region. He wanted to build a place where customers could experience a wide range of technologies and sonic presentations in a no-compromise environment. As a fan of TAS and of my book The Complete Guide to High-End Audio, Nilesh retained me…

Spotify AB was founded in April of 2006 by two young Swedes—technology entrepreneur Martin Lorentzon was 37 and Daniel Ek, then CTO of a company offering a popular browser-based fashion game for girls and young women, was barely 23. They were certainly ambitious, but no one could have imagined the dominance their streaming service would soon achieve in the music ecosystem. By the end of 2024, Spotify had more than 7000 employees and 675 million users worldwide, of which nearly 40% were paying customers. Ek and Lorentzon are both multibillionaires. Streaming now accounts for over 80% of recorded music revenues, and Spotify is responsible for about a third of that. But Spotify's impact on the way music is produced and distributed goes well beyond its success as a business, and…