by Michael

COVID-19 STATUS | PHONE ORDERS AND OPERATIONS ARE ACTIVE.

Many people are now home with their stereo and music 24×7 and many of us in the older demographic may be in this situation for many months – at least until effective masks are available or, better, a vaccine.

So, yep, lots of music. And perchance a desire to upgrade. The Acapella factory is open (largely family operated) in well-run Germany, and Audio Note U.K. is open to a limited degree (a large factory with lots of space).

If you absolutely positively can’t wait, we do have a bit of stock on-hand. We have no more desire to go without scratching the audiophile itch during this time any more than you all – so we understand these ‘audiophile emergencies’.

We’ve done local (Bay Area) curbside delivery with lots of social distance and hand washing – it works – it’s as safe as we can possibly make it.

Stay safe. Stay well.

COVID-19 STATUS | PHONE ORDERS AND OPERATIONS ARE ACTIVE. IN-STORE DEMOS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE. ACAPELLA (Germany) and AUDIO NOTE (U.K.) FACTORIES OPEN. IN-STORE STOCK AVAILABLE FOR AUDIOPHILE EMERGENCIES.
in High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo / News 0 comments
 by Michael

A visit to The Lotus Group this last Christmas

Neli and I drove up to visit (remember those days?) Joe Cohen of the Lotus Group a few days before Christmas. Finally getting around to posting some of the photos we took.

Joe builds Pranawire cables and the Granada loudspeakers and builds and imports a host of modest and not-so-modestly-priced audiophile tweaks and accessories.

https://www.lotusgroupusa.com/

Joe is one of the nicest and unassuming people in high-end audio (and elsewhere) and has an ear for that special magic we can get from a highly tuned hifi system.

Joe and Neli talking about some turntable doohickey or something… This is a snapshot of the video I recorded, a video which did not come out so well [but I may end up posting it sometime on YouTube anyway – it just looks like I had been drinking a lot of coffee?]

The Granada speakers featuring Feastrex field coil drivers

The Granada speakers featuring Feastrex field coil drivers

The Granada speakers featuring Feastrex field coil drivers

The Granada speakers featuring Feastrex field coil drivers

The Granada speakers featuring Feastrex field coil drivers (rear view)

Some yummy Pranawire cables [please ask Joe about what the accessories are – this is a highly tuned system]

 

Hope you all enjoyed this view of someone else’s system for a change 🙂

in In The Field / Prana Wire 1 comments
 by Michael

From the ridiculous to the sublime…

Seems like life these days is highlighting tremendous gulf between the ridiculous (human folly run rampant in all its horrific sociopathic glory) and the sublime (human art, oh how plentiful and accessible, and oh, how beautiful!).

Just taking a moment to listen to some of the art…. to REALLY listen… [ Neli is playing an opera, the first half of which was featured last night on Tuesday Night at the Opera on KSFR Santa Fe hosted by one of us audiophile types… (Hi Darryl!) ]

Audio Note UK Gaku-On amplifiers, M9 Phono preamplifier, DAC 5 Signature, and S9 Step-up transformer and EMM NS1 streamer, all on a HRS VXR equipment rack.

Acapella Apollon speakers, Triangle Art Master Reference turntable.

 

And the music … listening again today, to the 24/96 recording from Qobuz (also on Tidal):

  

in Acapella / Audio Note / Emm Labs / HRS 3 comments