CAH | Audio Resurgence - High End Audio Reviews and Products

Bookshelf vs Floorstanding Speakers vs the Room?

CAH — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 18:03:55 +0000

[Watch a short version of this article on YouTube above.] Audiophiles love a good debate (fight). Tubes vs solid state, digital vs vinyl, cables that “definitely” make a difference vs those that “absolutely” don’t. But perhaps one of the most enduring arguments is this: bookshelf speakers or floorstanders — which gives you the better listening […]

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The Law of Diminishing Returns in High-end Audio

CAH — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 15:58:40 +0000

I’ve been downsizing both my systems lately, and it has been an interesting experience. It started about a year ago. I basically came to the realization that, for whatever reasons, I wasn’t using my system(s) enough to justify the amount of cash that I had tied up in them. I let the feeling distill for […]

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Manley Labs Steelhead RC Phono Preamp Review

CAH — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 16:23:33 +0000

SMR Cable Technologies Vanish 334 Speaker Cable Review

CAH — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 16:56:08 +0000

You know you’re in for something serious when a set of speaker cables arrives with serialized documentation and a signed, certified performance report from the manufacturer. Not a vague promise of “reference sound,” not a generic factory checklist, but actual measured metrics signed off by a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E). The cables I’ve been living […]

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Spica TC‑50 Review: What $350 Can Still Buy You in High-End Audio

CAH — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 16:55:07 +0000

There are certain products in the audiophile world that seem to defy time, designs that, despite their original MSRP, age or modest appearance, still punch way above their weight and occasionally leave you wondering why the industry ever moved on. Or wondering, has it really moved on that much? The Spica TC‑50 is exactly that […]

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Vintage Linestages That Still Compete: Four Tube Preamps Worth Hearing in 2025

CAH — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 15:45:43 +0000

There’s great value in the vintage market. Not long ago, buying a vintage linestage meant resigning yourself to dusty old relics — gear that looked like lab equipment and often sounded like it too. You were wading through clunky circuits, high noise floors, and enough drift to need a compass. Models like the Dynaco PAS […]

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The Midnight Effect in High-End Audio: Myth, Magic, or Measurable?

CAH — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 21:58:52 +0000

So I was up late last night listening to the system and enjoying a few adult beverages. “The System” in this case was the dining room system, which is configured entirely for digital playback and is far more detailed and analytical than the main system, where I use primarily analog. The dining room system comprises […]

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REL Carbon Special Review: High Expectations – Poor Results.

CAH — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 21:05:43 +0000

I’ve spent 18 months with the REL Carbon Special subwoofers, and while I wanted to love them, I find myself more frustrated than impressed. For a subwoofer at this price point (MSRP: $4,499 each), there are design flaws that make setup and fine-tuning unnecessarily difficult—flaws that shouldn’t exist in a product marketed as a high-end […]

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Tube vs. Solid-State Preamps: Magic, Myth, or Just Distortion?

CAH — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 19:57:01 +0000

Mick, from Downunder, just published a YouTube video on the channel – Tube Preamps Versus Solid State. It seems to be a bit controversial judging by some of the comments on YouTube. I don’t know why, obviously tube preamps are better. But here it is – click the image to watch the video on YouTube, […]

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Ditching Your Linestage and Going Source-Direct

CAH — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 17:54:24 +0000