Sometimes good things appear in big packages. So it was when Federal Express arrived at my door with two huge boxes that happen to house one Opera Seconda loudspeaker each. Opera manufactures its loudspeakers in Italy and is sister company to Unison Research, whose two brilliant tubed CD players, the glorious Unico CDE and CDPrimo, I reviewed -- I was taken both by the beautiful build quality and gorgeous sound of both units, especially the CDE. Like the Unison Research line of products, Opera speakers offer plenty of choices, and are all made in the Treviso, Italy factory. Also, like Unison, Opera covers most price points, offering unique products at even at the entry level.  After my extremely positive experience with the Unison CD players and one of their hybrid integrated amps, I was quite excited to hear an Opera ...

Anthony Gallo Acoustics, founded in 1994, has pushed the limits of loudspeaker design, and dazzled those who have encountered their products.  Their futuristic, advanced technology based loudspeakers often raised eyebrows with their appearance, which feature cylindrical drivers, side firing woofers, and the lack of any traditional enclosure or box. They have a diehard following in the context of two channel and home theater setups alike.Recently, Anthony Gallo  Acoustics made big news with their introduction of a full line of speakers in traditional cabinet enclosures with wood finishes.  This was a big surprise to those who have followed Gallo over the years.  These new products are marketed as the Classico Series. As one might expect from Gallo, there are unique and proprietary technologies under the hood of these seemingly conventional looking designs. According to Anthony Gallo Acoustics, some of the proprietary ...

Paradigm has been a mainstay of the high-end two-channel, home theater, and lifestyle speaker market for so many years now, it's easy to take them for granted. I bet some audiophiles do. Not me. My home theater system is all Paradigm, and I use their SHIFT e3m earbuds for portable listening. Paradigm’s Reference Series monitors and floorstanders always sound excellent to me at audio shows, and they offer great value.The aforementioned SHIFT series also includes the new SHIFT A2 active monitors. They are geared towards the desktop and computer audiophile markets, among others. There are a number of very interesting things about the A2’s. First, they are modeled sonically in Paradigm’s 35,000 square foot research facility in Canada, using various techniques to develop the most balanced performance at this price point. They also are available in several high gloss colors, ...

Trends Audio, located in Hong Kong, is one of my favorite purveyors of budget minded, nice sounding, mini components. Recently a real market has grown for smaller components that don’t compromise on sonics and are affordable to all.  I had a blast with their PA-10 Tube Headphone and Pre Amplifier and Mini Component Combo. Their product line has been growing, and they now offer speakers, cables, and accessories.I remember, above all, how much fun I had with their mini components and how easy they were to set up and enjoy. To their credit, Trends has loyal customers through out Asia, North America, and Europe, partly due to a slew of positive reviews and good customer service. I received an email from Trends asking if I would like to receive a sample of their new SA-10 monitor loudspeakers for review. I ...

One of the biggest challenges a speaker designer has is making a very compact, low mass speaker sound lifelike.  There have been a number of notable “book shelf” designs, like the Rogers LS3/5a and its variants, the Proac Tablette, and the Paradigm Atom, among many others.  A successful execution of such a speaker certainly shows off the designer's skill. The fact is, that mini monitors are valid designs in that many music lovers are relegated to smaller spaces, and don’t require, nor can they accommodate, full range speakers.Totem Acoustic is based in Montreal, Canada. The company was founded in 1987, and makes a complete line of well reviewed loudspeakers ranging from in wall to full range floor standers.  I had heard much about Totem products, but up until recently I have not had an opportunity to spend any time with ...