If you are not familiar with Bruce Thigpen, it's time you were. Bruce has been among the more creative and innovative designers in the audio industry over the past forty years. He began his career by working on what was to become the Infinity turntable, which he followed with the classic and much-admired ET 2 linear tracking tonearm (parts and updates are still available for...

The Gryphon Essence preamplifier and Gryphon Stereo power amplifier are gorgeous looking and beautiful sounding Danish high-end audio components. Those who can afford either or both of these components will not only enjoy stellar sound quality but most likely will also be able to enjoy the fact that they are the epitome of audio equipment that has a look and "feel" of luxury...

The Art of Listening is a documentary film about the journey music takes to reach a listener's ear, from the intent of an instrument maker and composer, to the producers and engineers who capture and preserve an artist's voice. This journey is narrated by intimate conversations with artists, engineers and producers about the philosophy of their work and the intent b...

Imagine a single-ended Class A power amplifier comprising a single transistor, that is devoid of any feedback, and which behaves similarly to a power triode? Does this scenario sound too good to be true? Well, that's exactly what the First Watt SIT-1 is all about. It deploys a unique type of device, a variant of the JFET, referred to as a static induction transistor (SIT). I...

The Ayon Audio CD-35 II as reviewed here, is the latest introduction to a long lineage of CD players that have been well regarded going back to the various models in the 3 and 5 series, along with ideas derived from their special edition CD35HF. But the CD-35 II is more than a CD player – it is also a fully functioning preamplifier and DAC. It is a single-ended triode pure C...