Chicago’s Gramovox already defied gravity with their vertical Floating Record Player, and now Italian start-up Audio Deva offers their own “upside-down” take on a turntable. It eschews the basic design that has “remained the same for about a century.” The thinking goes, the heavier the platter and plinth, the more vibrations that can be absorbed and overall a more stable speed (Fern & Roby made …
Tag: Hi-Fi
Mu-so Qb by Naim Audio
The British company crafts a $1k cube-shaped wireless audio soundsystem
English hi-fi audio manufacturer Naim (you’ve experienced their expertise if you’ve ever driven a Bentley after 2008) revealed the newest addition to their line-up last month at CES. The Mu-so Qb is a compact version of Naim’s rectangular Mu-so, which was their debut attempt at a completely wireless music system. “Qb” is pronounced “cube” and its shape comes forth—with distinct, curved grilles. To clarify, this …
How Bang & Olufsen’s BeoLab 90 Became a Reality
We traveled to Denmark to learn what warranted the speaker's $39K price tag
Strange, beautiful, different. These aren’t the typical adjectives given to hi-fi speakers, and yet they’re the best words to describe Bang & Olufsen’s new contemporary masterpiece, the BeoLab 90 active loudspeakers. Years in the making, the finished product was unveiled to the public last week—and much of the resulting press focused on the price tag of $39,000 per speaker unit (and sold in a minimum …
Fern & Roby’s Cast Iron and Bronze Turntable
A sculptural work of art to satisfy audiophiles and design lovers
Fern & Roby, located in Richmond, Virginia, designs not only eye-catching furniture with vintage-inspired bases (made from cast iron, bronze or aluminum) but also stunning audio equipment that could double as sculptural works of art. With a dedication to American manufacturing and craft, Fern & Roby impress yet again with The Turntable—made up of a a 70-pound cast iron plinth and 35-pound bronze platter—to satisfy …
Charged: Shindo Laboratory
Ken Shindo's sculpture-like amps and pre-amps turn the experience of listening to music into an emotion-packed one
The 2011 documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” at first appears to be a film about an 85-year-old sushi chef and his world-famous dishes, though it’s really about a man’s lifelong quest to continually make better sushi—to continually strive to master his craft. In the world of hi-fi audio equipment, Jiro’s counterpart, if there ever was one, would be fellow countryman Ken Shindo, whose hand-made tube …